


Barcelona is for Lovers

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Barcelona (the city), Beach Holidays, Beach Sex, Beaches, Day At The Beach, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, First Time, Making Love, Sexual exploration, Vacation, Walks On The Beach, first vacation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2019-10-26 00:03:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 27,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: Three months after Rose and the Doctor are reunited and promptly ditched on a beach in Norway, they are still trying to find their feet.  Rose plans a trip to Barcelona for them to relax, reconnect, and hopefully consummate their relationship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! Thank you for joining me on this journey. This fic was prompted in honor of TenToo's Day last year, and is only ready to go now.
> 
> Chapters will be posted every other Sunday, starting today.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Rose sank into the window seat, arranging her rolling bag at her feet.  Her present view was just of the train at the next platform, but once they were out of the station she anticipated gorgeous views of the English countryside.

“Good spot.”

Rose looked up at the approving tone, smiling slightly as the Doctor settled next to her.  “Thanks.” She’d chosen the spot specifically with him in mind; they were at the head of the traincar, with nothing in front of them but plenty of space for him to stretch his legs.  His own bag went next to hers, and he reached for her hand. She gave it willingly, lacing their fingers together and resting the joined palms on her thigh.

She could already see the difference this impromptu trip was making in him.  He’d been here, in this universe, for almost three months now. The first couple of weeks had been good, catching up and getting him settled.  Shopping and paperwork had been interspersed with tours of London and playing with Tony, telling stories and relearning each other. But once the dust had settled he’d grown restless, and she had to give credit where it was due – he’d tried very hard to hide it.  She knew him, though, could still recognize that longing look in his eye that he’d have when they’d stay on the TARDIS for too long a stretch.

She’d booked this trip the next day.  They’d had to wait until his passport came in, but that was yesterday and today they were on their way.

Now he was calm, looking around in interest at their fellow passengers and out the windows.  “How long’s this leg?”

“Two and a half hours,” she checked their travel documents.  “Then a forty-five minute layover, then another five on the TGV.”

“The ‘TGV’,” he scoffed, “what an original name. ‘High speed train’.  Brilliant.” His free hand carded through his hair, ruffling the strands he’d spent twenty minutes on that morning to the point of nearly making them late.

“You’re right, ‘Underground’ is much cleverer,” she teased, grinning up at him.  “It’s almost as if someone thought it might be a good idea for the name to be descriptive.”

The Doctor’s jaw dropped, staring down at her for a moment before pursing his lips and harrumphing.  “Go ahead and mock, Rose Tyler.”

She waited, but he didn’t say anything else, just determinedly staring out the window over her head.  “No need to pout, love, we’re on holiday! You should be happy.”

His expression softened, and he beamed at her.  “I am happy, my love,” he emphasized the endearment, and Rose suspected their faces would crack any moment from so much smiling, “cause I’m with you.  Plus, we’re finally alone.”

That was true; after four years of bedtime stories from his big sister about her heroic alien ‘friend’, Tony had been in awe of meeting the Doctor in the flesh, even more so than the time they took him to meet Elmo.  Every second that her brother was awake he clamored for the Doctor and Rose’s attention, barely letting them have a moment to themselves. The odd times that they  _ did _ find themselves alone for the day, inevitably one of her parents would interrupt, hijacking them until Tony woke from his nap.

But now they had ten uninterrupted days alone.  They were on their way to Barcelona (the city not the planet), where Rose had rented a house for the week.  No parents, no brother, hopefully no alien encounters – other than what she had planned for the one next to her.  Sightseeing, sunbathing… and, she crossed her fingers, hopefully some shagging. Or at least brilliant snogging.

The train started moving then, and she squeezed his hand in excitement.  “Here we go!” Rose let go momentarily to shove up the armrest between them, and they cuddled together by the window as the train left the station and made its way through the city.

She was so distracted by his long, lean body pressed against hers, she almost missed a point of interest.  Using the GPS on her mobile to verify they were in the right spot, she nudged him before gesturing out the window.  “See this park here?”

“Yeah?”

“You can’t quite see it but if you follow these paths, they’ll take you around towards the construction.”

“Oh?  And what are they constructing?” he murmured in her ear, sending a rush of warmth through her veins.

“The Olympic park.”

“Oh, are they doing that here?” he asked in delight.  “I didn’t ask.”

She grinned at him in the reflection of the window.  “Yep! Next summer now. Coming soon.”

“Think they’ll let me carry the torch?”

“They didn’t  _ let you _ the first time,” she shot back, “and hopefully, the Isolus won’t get lost in this universe.”

He hummed softly.  “Well, actually, all things considered, it wouldn’t be  _ that _ big a deal if it happened again.  I mean, no one died, and honestly, I think it helped that family more than it hurt.  What was their name?”

“Webber,” Rose said promptly.  “Chloe and Trish.”

He went still behind her for a moment before pressing his lips to the side of her head, hard.  “I love that you still remember that,” he whispered. “I love  _ you _ .”

Her heart skipped a beat as it always did, and she took a moment to savor those words, how easily he said them, how  _ often _ he said them.  “I love you too.”

They’d had breakfast before leaving the house, but shortly before they entered the Chunnel the Doctor stood, stretching.  “I could use a cuppa – you?”

Rose didn’t hesitate to sprawl out across both seats.  “Sure, ta.” She watched him walk away, whistling, before calling him back.  “Wait!”

“What’s wrong?”  He hurried over to her.

She dug in her purse.  “One – the galley’s the other way, and two – d’you have cash?”  She glanced up to see him grinning, wallet in hand.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” he said smugly, as if two days ago he hadn’t almost gotten them arrested because he’d forgotten to pay for lunch.

Rose relaxed, sinking back in her seat, unable to wipe the happiness from her face.  “Great. Oooh, I could go a chocolate croissant though, if they’ve got any.”

He blinked down at her, looking almost offended.  “We’ll be in Paris in an hour, and you want a croissant from a  _ train _ ?”

“Yep!”

He shook his head, walking away muttering under his breath.

“I heard that!”

* * *

In Paris they changed trains, stopping to grab pastries and lunch to go.  Settled in their seats on the TGV, Rose immediately pulled out one of the croissants and tore it in two, offering half to the Doctor.  She had the window again, and they snuggled together to watch the French countryside fly by.

“So this is probably a ridiculous question, but have you ever been to Paris?” Rose asked, leaning back against his chest.

“Of course,” he answered as expected.  “A number of times. Once, I came with my friend Romana.  Was it before? No- not long after she regenerated. We were here as tourists-”

“Wait, regenerated?  She was a Time Lord?” Rose bolted upright, turning to stare at him.

The Doctor ruffled his hair, an uncertain expression on his face.  “Yes- well, Time Lady. She traveled with me for a while in her first and second incarnations.”

“Oh,” she exhaled, mind whirling.  For some reason, she’d never pictured him travelling with anyone but a human.  “Were you… involved?”

“What, romantically?”  His concern seemed to be fading, only to be replaced with confusion.  “Ugh, no. She is- well, was, I suppose- one of my best friends, and a good ally whenever I had to return home, but- decidedly not.”

“Okay.”  Rose shook her head, resettling herself in his arms.  “Sorry, minor jealous freakout over. You were tourists?”

He kissed the side of her head, arms tightening around her.  “Right. Anyway, we were wandering around, taking in the sights, when we realized someone was messing with time.  Long story short, an alien of the species Jagaroth had tried to take off in his spaceship some odd 400 million years ago, the ship blew up, and fragments of his consciousness were scattered forward through the centuries.  The one in 1979 Paris was posing as a Count, trying to raise funds to build a machine that would send him back to just before the explosion to stop it.”

“Did he succeed?”

The Doctor scoffed.  “The ship exploding mixed with the amniotic fluid on the ground, creating amino acids and effectively life on Earth.”

“So it was a paradox,” Rose guessed, tilting her head back to see his chin.  “He could never succeed ‘cause if he did he wouldn’t have been splintered in the first place, and there would’ve been no humanity to help him get back to the explosion.”

“Exactly,” the Doctor confirmed after a moment.  “I must say, Rose, you follow this a lot better than you used to.”

“Experience,” she replied simply.  “I spent two years hopping from dimension to dimension.  I had to understand – it was do or die.”

He traced his finger over her face, starting with her cheek before skating over her lips, nose, and brow, feather light.  The touch still made her shiver, leaning heavier into him. He never spoke, and eventually she turned to look out the window again, the countryside flying by.

* * *

The slight rocking of the train must have lulled her to sleep, because she jerked awake at the conductor announcing, “Gare de Narbonne!  Narbonne!”

Struggling to untangle herself from the Doctor’s grip, she sat up, blinking.  The sky was beginning to darken, and she realized it was the last stop before their own.  “Doctor?” She gently shook him awake as the train began to move again. “Wake up, please.”

His eyes cracked open, a loud yawn echoing in the otherwise quiet car.  “Where’re we?”

“Narbonne, we’re next.”

“How long?”

“Bout thirty minutes, I think.”

“Oh, okay.”  And his eyes drifted shut again.  Rose waited a moment, before viciously pinching his side.  “Oi!”

“Don’t fall back asleep,” she hissed, “we’ll be there before we know it.  Come on, let’s clean this stuff up.”

He grumbled, still yawning, but did as she asked.  By the time all the trash had been discarded and they’d each made a trip to the loo, they were pulling into the station.

“Gare de Perpignan!  Perpignan!”

The train stopped and they stood, the Doctor snatching Rose’s bag before she could.  “Lead the way,” he nudged, and she did, stepping off the train and quickly locating the car rental booth.

“Erm, bonjour- ah, bonsoir, je m’appelle Rose Tyler, j’ai une reservation?”

Getting the car was relatively painless, despite being able to sense the Doctor’s desire to jump in and take over.  Thankfully he was wise enough to let her handle it, merely following her to the rental car where she froze, keys in hand.

It was exactly what she’d ordered: a midnight blue, sparking convertible in a shade as close to the TARDIS as she could get.  But looking at the vehicle reminded her of a key difference between England and the Continent – the steering wheel was on the other side.

“D’you want me to drive?” the Doctor offered, already popping the trunk and loading the bags.

“No, I can do it, I just need you to navigate for me,” Rose said, biting her lip.  How hard could it be?

“Alrighty, then.”  And he opened the right-side door with a flourish, waiting expectantly.

Smiling, she shook her head, walking around to the left and opening the door for herself.  “Thanks, love.”

“Right.”  He yawned again, ruffling his hair sheepishly as he slid in.  “This is  _ nice _ .”

“I wanted to feel the wind in my hair,” Rose explained, carefully adjusting her mirrors and seat before starting the car.  “Okay, we’ve got about thirty kilometers to go tonight so we cross the border into Spain. Then we can drive along the coast in the daylight.”

“Molto bene.”

She eased the car out of the space, watching carefully as she got out onto the street.  Fortunately traffic was light, just enough cars on the road to remind her which side to be on.  She deliberately drove out of her way for a few minutes as practice, before making her way over to the divided highway, holding her breath until she’d smoothly merged with traffic.  So long as she kept going straight she wasn’t too worried, and was soon comfortable enough to steal glances every so often at the farmland on the side of the highway.

“So, you haven’t said what all you’ve got planned for this week,” the Doctor mentioned, startling her; he’d been quiet for so long, she’d thought he’d fallen asleep again.

“Oh, the usual,” she said flippantly, “sun, sand, se- spending time alone with you.”  Rose bit her lip hoping he couldn’t see her blush, and more importantly, hadn’t caught her slip of the tongue.  She wanted to discuss their physical relationship with him, but hurtling down a motorway at 100 kph didn’t seem like the best time.

“That it?”  His voice was warm, and to her surprise, he settled his palm on her thigh, thumb stroking at the sensitive skin.

“Sightseeing!  We’re not too far from Barcelona, so I figured we could drive in a couple days, do the tourist thing.”  She swallowed, warmth pooling in her stomach. His gaze was heavy on her, but not uncomfortable – more of a cozy duvet during the winter type of weight, rather than oppressive.  Could he, possibly, already be on the same page?

“Yeah, all right,” he was nodded approvingly when she snuck a peek at him, “also, love the alliteration.”

“Just for you, babe.”  Her laugh was off, too high-pitched and breathless, but it was genuine, and he giggled along.

They rode in silence after that, Rose focusing as the traffic picked up around her, the Doctor a steady but still presence next to her but for the occasional direction.  They made it to the hotel soon enough, and once again he rushed to carry her bag for her, dutifully trailing behind as she checked them in.

Despite the fact they’d been sleeping in the same bed since his arrival, anticipation sparked between them as they reached the room.  For the first time, there would be no risk of interruption – no Tony to come bounding in, no Jackie to pester them down to breakfast.

Rose threw open the door, nearly dancing inside – until she stopped dead, the Doctor crashing into her back in his own haste.

“Oi!  Why’d you stop- oh.”  His chest was warm against her back as they stood there, staring at the twin beds.  A beautiful antique nightstand stood between the beds, and Rose had a nasty feeling that it would be quite heavy, if not impossible, to move.

“They were supposed to give us a king,” she moaned, as the two bags dropped to the ground behind her.  “Shit. And the girl said we were the last to check in, too.”

“We can make do,” the Doctor said bravely.  “It’s one night.”

“Yeah.”  Rose supposed it was for the best, as she lifted her weekender onto the bed closer to the window.  The anticipation and impatience was making her ache, and if they slept curled up together she couldn’t promise to control herself, and she didn’t want that.  She wanted to have a conversation about it first, a likely excruciating and humiliating conversation, and make sure they were on the same page.

Plus, she didn’t want anyone to overhear them – she suspected they would be  _ loud _ .

She couldn’t wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 of their trip. Things get hot and heavy on the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder that this story will contain mature scenes.

They were up early the next morning, on the road not long after the sun appeared.  Rose’s plan was to be at the house and have the shopping done by noon, so as to have the afternoon free for sunbathing.  The property came with a pool and private beach access, and she wanted to make good use of both.

Dressed in tiny shorts and a tank top, she revelled in the warm Spanish sun.  Driving along the coast with the wind in her hair, the Doctor next to her, she rather thought this was as close to heaven as one could get without the TARDIS.

Of course, he was the largest part of that sense of peace, and half the reason she was dressed so skimpily.  For someone who spent so much time bragging about his ‘superior biology’, she had quickly twigged to his ability to talk being directly inverse to how much skin she was showing.  Now that he was biologically human, or near enough, the barest hint of her cleavage would sent him into a total shutdown.

For totally unrelated reasons, she suddenly found her taste in shirts and blouses ran towards the low-cut end of the spectrum.

When she’d walked out of the loo that morning, he’d stopped speaking mid-sentence as he stared at her, mouth gaping like a fish.  He’d been unusually reticent since, though his warm palm had barely left her upper thigh the entire drive.

“So tell me about this house.”  He had to shout to be heard, but his grin said he didn’t mind.

“Erm, three bedrooms, an  _exotic tropical garden_  end quote, barbecue… supposed to be fabulous view, good for stargazing, just generally being outside.  Pool.  Uh, beach is… about 500 meters away or so.  The pictures looked gorgeous, at least.  Ocean view from the master bedroom.”

“Sounds brilliant.”

“Good.”  She relaxed, savoring the spectacular vistas as they wound their way along the coastal highway.  It was a perfect day, no stress, no worries, and the man she loved by her side.  She had plenty of contingency plans in case he got overwhelmingly bored, and hoped that at least by midweek they’d be too busy exploring each other for his attention to wander.

A girl could dream.

They arrived late midmorning, parking next to the house before easily locating the lockbox with the house keys.  It wasn’t terribly impressive from the outside, a little white, gated house, but Rose gasped once they made their way inside.  “Look at this!”

The living room was a cheerful yellow color, marble floors and light wood furniture.  The wood-burning fireplace was the focal point, and she stopped to admire it for only a moment before moving on.  The dining room and kitchen weren’t particularly special, merely functional, but Rose didn’t plan to spend a lot of time in either room.  One of the greatest perks of being an heiress, she’d quickly discovered, was not having to feel guilty spending money on takeaway and restaurants, especially if she tipped well.

“Rose, come look at this,” the Doctor called, and she followed his voice until she found him in the middle of a bedroom, already settling the bags at the foot of the bed.  Based on the pictures the rental agency had supplied, it was the master.

“Ooh, nice,” she approved, taking in the king-sized bed.  Outside the windows sparkled the Mediterranean, and the sight of an unfamiliar place still made her shiver with delight.

He coughed deliberately, and she turned to face him – and gasped.

“Oh my  _God_.”  Pushing past him she stepped into the master bathroom.  “This is  _amazing_.”  It was all marble, big and airy, with his-and-her sinks, a shower stall – and a jacuzzi.  It looked snug for two people, but she suspected they’d be able to fit.

_When there’s a will…_

“Right, shall we go explore outside?” the Doctor asked, offering her his hand.

“Let’s.”  Lacing their fingers together, she let him drag her through the house onto the patio behind it.  The house sat on the top of a hill, with what looked like two separate outdoor spaces.  One was centered around the pool, with sofas and lounge chairs for sunbathing.  The pool was clean, a decent size, and she was ridiculously tempted to jump right in, clothes and all.

On the other side of the house, connected to the pool by a small brick walkway, was another seating area, this time overlooking the water sparkling below with another couch and more lounge chairs.  Just down the side of the house from that was a large outdoor table, perfect for a group.

Rose went up to the edge of the patio, staring out at the water.  It was all so incredible, more beautiful than the pictures, and felt as new and exciting as any alien world.

“This was a perfect place to come,” the Doctor murmured, stepping up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Yeah?”  She snuggled back into him, resting her head on his chest.  His fingertips found their way beneath the hem of her tank, lightly brushing against skin and making her shiver.

“Yeah.”  He kissed her temple, and they simply swayed there in the warm sun, watching the waves crashing down below.  “We should check out the beach later.”

“Mhmm.  And go to the shops.”  Rose didn’t move though; she never wanted to leave his arms.

* * *

“Want to walk down to the beach now?” the Doctor suggested, as they put the last of the groceries away.  They’d gone into one of the local villages, having an early lunch before picking up some staples and breakfast supplies.

“Sure.  I’m going to put my suit on, though, and we should take some of the beach stuff, stay awhile.”

He nodded.  “I’ll go rummage around outside, find the towels, that sort of thing.”  They headed back towards the bedroom hand in hand.

“No suit?”  Stopping in the doorway, Rose pouted up at him.  She leaned back against the doorjamb, and had to fight a smile when he pressed her up against it, raining tiny kisses over her face.

“No, temptress.  Not today.”

“Okay.”  Rose resolved to pack it anyway, just in case he changed his mind – if for no other reason than he’d bake in the sun otherwise.  “Now, go. No peeking!” she teased, swatting him away.

He went reluctantly, holding onto her fingers until the last possible second.  “Meet me outside when you’re ready.”

Rose waited until he’d vanished from sight to shut the door, diving for her bag.  She’d purchased and packed the teeniest, tiniest bikinis she could find, and now had to decide – quickly – which she wanted him to see first.  After a moment’s debate she settled on the one that was TARDIS blue, before pulling her tank and shorts on over it.  Shoving a pair of his swim trunks (and where he’d found a pair with pinstripes she’d never know) into a shoulder bag with suntan lotion and various other odds and ends, it wasn’t long before she met him outside.

“Rose!”  He kissed her firmly, as though she’d been away ten years not ten minutes.

“Ready to go?”  She kissed him back just as gladly, the taste of him still a novelty after only three months.  A stop in the kitchen had turned up some snacks and water bottles, and she slathered on another coating of sunscreen – though she fully intended to have him do her back.

“Yep.”  He patted his own shoulder bag gleefully, a wiggle of his eyebrows making her wonder what all was in there – he still maintained the ability to make things bigger on the inside, though he refused to explain how.

“Allons-y!” Rose cried, grabbing his hand and darting down the tiled path.  He laughed, letting her tug him along, and hearing him behind her, his palm snug against hers on a bright, beautiful day, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so happy.

* * *

The path abruptly spilled out onto a white sand beach.  With no one else in sight they had the place to themselves, and Rose wasted no time in dumping the bag and kicking off her shoes to run towards the water.

“What’re you doing?” the Doctor called after her, still laughing, but she didn’t hesitate to wade into the water knee deep.

“Testing the water!”

“And?”

“It’s beautiful!”  She turned her back on the water to look at him, grinning to see he’d left his bag next to hers and was at the edge of the water.

“Let’s get set up first, yeah?” he encouraged, and it was only his smiling face that tempted her out of the ocean.  She padded up the sand to their things, where he stood digging in his bag.  “There’s a blanket somewhere.”  He reached in up to his shoulder for a moment.  “Aha!”  Brandishing the bright fabric like a trophy, he passed her one end and they spread it out.  Their shoes and bags went in each corner to secure it, and Rose stepped back to survey it carefully.  It was large enough for them to share comfortably, with plenty of extra space.

“Perfect,” she declared after a moment.  “Can you put some lotion on my back, then we can get in the water?”

The Doctor was closer to her bag, and quickly located the bottle.  “Sure – come’ere.”

With an innocent smile, she whipped the tank off and turned her back to him.  “Thanks, love.”

He spluttered, making a few odd, wheezing noises.  “Uh huh!”  She merely swept up her hair out of the way and waited patiently.

The lotion was cold, but his warm hands smoothing it into her skin was what made her shiver.  “Mmhmm.”  It was a massage and application in one, nimble fingers relieving what little stress remained.  He worked on her back far longer than necessary, to the point where she was almost asleep or ready to jump him when he cleared his throat.

“Done.”  His voice had gone deep, and he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back against him.  Her breath hitched when she realized he was aroused, and more importantly, was letting her know. It wasn’t all that long ago he’d have done his damnedest to hide it from her.

“You should join me in the water,” she rasped, rocking her hips slightly back against him.

“I didn’t bring my suit.”  His hands slipped slower, bracketing her hips and securing her tightly against him.  If he’d thought that would stop her wriggling, he was sorely mistaken.

“I did – though, you could always go starkers.”

He nuzzled his face into her neck, pressing kisses along her skin.  “I think I’ll stay here for a bit – you go.”

“Sure?”

“Mhmm.”

His grip loosened, and she reluctantly stepped away, turning to face him.  “Okay.  But will you consider changing and joining me?  And don’t you dare eat all the snacks I brought!”

“I won’t,” he promised, before frowning.  “Er, I will to the first, won’t to the second.”

“All right.”  Taking another step back, she turned to face the water again as she undid the clasp of her shorts, keeping her legs straight and bending at the waist as she slowly lowered them as provocatively as possible.  He groaned, a wonderful, erotic moan, and she tossed her shorts in the vague direction of their stuff, running towards the water before she shoved him to the sand and rode him in broad daylight on a private-but-not-exclusive-to-them beach.

Trying to shake her desperate arousal she dove headfirst into the waves, submerging herself in the water.  The temperature was ideal, the water calm, and as she broke the surface she had the absurd feeling of living in a Disney movie it was so perfect.

She didn’t know how long she swam for, alternating between jumping with the waves and floating on her back, enjoying the peace.  She hadn’t felt so free since arriving in this universe, and she was under no illusions that that was because of anything but the man waiting for her on the beach.  Suddenly missing him despite being so close, she made her way back to shore. By the time she reached dry sand he was there, waiting for her.

“How is it?”

“Fantastic.”  They shared a grin at her use of his old catchphrase.  “I think you’d love it – will you please come in?”

“Already changed,” he admitted, and she realized he had; afraid of getting distracted by thoughts of his shorts, and what lay under them, she hadn’t looked.  “Didn’t want to interrupt, though.”

“Well, come on, then,” she ordered, pulling him back towards their stuff.  “Ditch the shirt and sunglasses, let’s go play.”

The Doctor grumbled but did as bid, before snatching her up and throwing her over his shoulder, so her head hung near his bum as she shrieked.

“Doctor!  What’re you doing?”

He waited until he was waist deep in the water, setting her down and holding her close before admitting, “Being on a beach and not touching you… was not pleasant.”

Her faux anger melted away, and she nestled into his arms.  “I know the feeling.”  His single heart beat beneath her ear, soothing the still-jagged edges of her soul.  “I love you,” she murmured, just because she could.

“I love you too,” he whispered back.  And then he swept her legs out from under her, dunking her in the ocean.

When she surfaced he was laughing, and she narrowed her eyes.  “This means war,” she warned, but he just gave her a cocky smile.

“Bring it.”

She lunged at him, knocking him off his feet.  As soon as he was under she scrambled away, trying to gain some distance.  He resurfaced closer to her than expected, and her eyes widened as she tried to back away.  He was faster, dunking her again, though she managed to pull him under with her.  They struggled for long minutes, a dunking and splashing war for the ages.

She eventually grew tired and more interested in other things, so the next time he dunked her, she ‘accidentally’ lost her bikini top, tucking it into the back of her bottoms before popping up.

He lunged for her again and froze, eyes going wide before he spun around.

“Something wrong?”

“You- you- ah- your top…” he fumbled, ears turning red.

“Hmm?”  She glanced down and gasped, as if unaware that she was now topless.  “Oops!”  His back was still firmly to her, and she rolled her eyes.  “You can turn around.”

He did before squeaking and continuing, making a seamless 360* turn.  “It’s still missing.”

“I know.”  She made her way out of the water, surreptitiously sticking the tiny scrap of fabric in her bag before stretching out on her back on the blanket.

The Doctor quickly joined her, keeping his eyes averted, and she wrinkled her nose.

“Doctor?”  Rose waited until she had his attention.  “It’s okay – you can look.”

“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said awkwardly, rubbing his hand across the back of his neck.

“Do I look uncomfortable?  Babe, trust me, I’ll tell you if anything’s too much.”  She folded one arm behind her head, the other patting the empty space next to her.  “Come on.”

He reluctantly lay next to her on his front, arms folded below him to prop him up.  His gaze mostly stayed on her face, though it would occasionally dart down to her breasts.

Rose brought her other arm up behind her head, watching his face.  “Doctor?”

“Yes?”  His eyes snapped up, and he looked so guilty she sighed, reaching one hand out to caress his cheek and jaw.

“It’s okay,” she repeated gently.  “You can look, if you want.”  He glanced down before meeting her eye again.

“Sure?”

She smiled.  “Thank you for checking, but yes.  I’ve got my tank top – I could cover up if I wanted to.”

His eyebrows lifted in surprise then consideration, weighing the truth of her words.

“You can even,” she dogged on, hoping she wasn’t about to give him a heart attack, “touch.  If you want.”

A look of shock and awe crossed his face, and he rolled onto his side, propping himself up with one hand and leaving the other free, letting it rest on the blanket between them.  “Yeah?”

Smiling, she just nodded, watching his face as he stared at her.  He slowly reached out a shaking hand, changing direction at the last moment to settle it on her stomach.  His fingers spread, covering the pale expanse, resting there, she supposed, to allow them both to grow comfortable with the touch.  Of course, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary; most nights they fell asleep snuggled together, his front to her back, palm anchoring her to him.

After an unknowable number of heartbeats his touch lightened until only his index finger caressed her skin, tracing designs.  With a jolt she realized it was his language, the same circular characters from the TARDIS, and she wondered if it was his name, if he was claiming her.

She hoped he was.

Her stomach tensed with anticipation as the digit meandered its way up her skin until it skimmed under her breasts.  At the first touch against the bottom curve of one she let out a sigh, sinking deeper into the blanket in an effort to relax.  She felt tightly strung, as though with a sudden move she would snap in two.  After three months of near-constant arousal, waiting for them to be in a place physically and emotionally to act on it, his fingers actually on her skin nearly caused her to burst into flames.

The fingertip skated up her breast, circling ever closer to her nipple.  Watching with bated breath, she mentally encouraged him closer, closer,  _closer… yes!_   He brushed over it, gently flicking it back and forth, sending a bolt of arousal through her, her back instinctively arching up to force a firmer touch.

“Please,” Rose whimpered, fisting the blanket below her.  “Doctor,  _please_.”  Startled eyes met hers, and he looked pleased, embarrassed, and aroused, all at once.

The Doctor didn’t reply, just brought his thumb down to smooth over the nub more firmly before pinching it between the thumb and index finger, rubbing it between them gently.

“Shit.”  She was panting now, too turned on to be embarrassed at how ready she was from such a simple touch.  Desire had transitioned to a desperate need, burning in her veins.

He turned his attention to her other breast, repeating the same torture, drawing more needy sounds from Rose.

“Can I-”

“Anything,” she interrupted, not caring as long he kept touching her.  His head slowly lowered, and she could already feel his mouth around her breast before he was there, but a sound behind him drew her attention away.  “Oh fuck, please,  _no_.”

His head jerked up, blinking at her, but she didn’t pay attention, merely scrambling to turn onto her stomach.  A large group of people were coming up the beach from behind him, talking and carrying on, a mix of children and adults.  The last thing she wanted was to stop, but she wanted to find out the local decency laws even less.  Laying out topless was one thing, and the other group probably wouldn’t blink if they even noticed, but foreplay was another matter altogether.

“What do you want to do?” he asked quietly, glaring over his shoulder at the group.  They were still a decent ways away, barely audible, but it was no longer the quiet, private paradise it had been ten minutes previous.

Burying her face in the blanket, she let out a quiet scream of frustration as he rubbed her back.  Groaning, she turned her head to look up at him.  “We could go spend some time by the pool?”

“Well-”  A baby in the other group began to wail, and his face pinched.  “Yeah, let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 will be posted on March 10th.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Rose dug her tank out of her bag, slipping it on before sitting up.  It didn’t take them long to pack up, making their way back up the hill towards the private, and hopefully quieter, villa.  Dropping the bag on the first lounge chair once they were through the gate, she put her hands on her hips and surveyed the backyard.

“Did you want to get in?”  The Doctor’s voice permeated her thoughts, and she turned to find him ruffling his hair, avoiding her gaze.  It was clear that, at least on his end, the mood had broken, and she sighed, disappointed.

“Yeah, all right.”  She debated for a moment before removing the tank and her shoes, leaving her in just the bikini bottoms.  She had nothing to be ashamed of, and perversely hoped that her bare breasts would get him as hot and bothered as she was.

He stripped off his own t-shirt and kicked off his sandals before coming in front of her and settling his hands on her hips and kissing her, hard.

Rose moaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as she parted her lips, inviting his tongue in to play.  His grip tightened, hauling her up against him, and she was pleasantly surprised to find him aroused against her hip.  She let her hands skate across his back, feeling the muscles flex as their mouths moved against each other.  Their chests were pressed together, making her belly swoop, and after a minute, his hands drifted down before covering her bum cheeks.  She was utterly lost in the pleasure of their bodies pressed together, of warm skin beneath her palms, of being touched intimately.

The Doctor eventually broke the kiss, panting, still rocking his hips against hers.  “P- pool?” he stuttered out, hands flexing on her bum.

“Uh- um, okay,” she managed, watching him turn and almost flee to the water, jumping into the deeper end.  Still standing on the pool deck she closed her eyes again, concentrating on controlling her breathing.  Incredibly worked up, she tried to not to let resentment bubble up for how he’d left her like that.

* * *

By the time she stepped into the water he was floating on his back, eyes closed, utterly at peace despite the still-impressive tent at the front of his trunks.  “Hey.”  She splashed him gently to let him know she was there, and his eyes opened as he let his lower half sink.

“Hi.”  He ruffled his hair before rubbing his neck, clear signs he was anxious.

“All right?”

“Yeah.”  After a moment, he met her gaze sheepishly.  “I got… overwhelmed.  Sorry.”

“S’okay.”  Rose smiled at him, proud that he’d managed to share his feelings unprompted.  Baby steps.  “Just tell me.”

His lips twitched.  “It was… really nice though.”

“I may be biased, but I’d use the word ‘brilliant’.”

“Brilliant,” he repeated, eyes darting down to blatantly stare at her chest.  “Molto bene.”

“Yeah?”  She knew she was perky, decent though she wouldn’t mind a little more volume, but his dark gaze never implied she was lacking.

He moved swiftly through the water, large hands covering each breast as his thumbs gently rubbed the valley between them.  “Perfect.”  He lightened his touch, shifting his hands until they spanned the top of her ribcage, thumbs teasing both nipples.  They pebbled further, and at this point Rose could feel the want dripping down her thighs, even in the water.

Rose hummed in agreement, settling her hands on his hips at the waistband to steady herself as her head dropped back, eyes fluttering closed as she pushed her chest into his touch.  This had been one of her fantasies when she booked the trip.  Being pleasured by her lover in the warm sun, carefree and happy.

“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured, still toying with her breasts.

“You talkin’ to me or the girls?”  His first body had been fairly subtle, and it was only rare occasions she would catch him ogling her.  After the regeneration, though, he’d lost all tact, blatantly looking and getting distracted to boot.  Not that she’d minded.  In fact, it had been major boost to her ego, at the time still slightly bruised from Jimmy and Mickey’s indiscretions.

“Uh…”

“S’all right,” she teased, throwing caution to the wind.  “When I get you naked, I expect to be havin’ conversations with a specific part of  _your_ anatomy, so it’s only fair.”  And she snuck a hand between them to cup him through the swimming trunks.

His eyes went wide, and he swallowed harshly several times before attempting a high-pitched, “Okay!”

 _Okay_  was right.   _Holy hell_ , Rose thought, skimming her fingers over the outline of him.  He felt big, long and thick, and her pulse pounded between her thighs in anticipation.

“May- maybe we should just swim,” he choked out, letting go of her breasts and pulling back.

Rose blinked, confused and a little hurt.  “Um, yeah.  Sure.”  Watching him begin to swim laps she remembered what he’d said, and flushed.  He’d gotten overwhelmed and run, she’d followed, and they’d ended up going even further.   _Nice job, doofus._ Climbing out of the pool she dug out her bikini top and the tank, putting them both on before going back in the water and swimming around by herself.

Eventually he relaxed, starting a splash war, and they had innocent fun playing together until the sun started to set.

“Blimey, I’m beat,” the Doctor groaned, collapsing on one of the loungers as Rose dropped into the one next to him.

“We should start dinner.”

Their eyes met, and they burst into laughter.

“Takeaway?”

“I could do with a pizza,” she suggested.  “We’ve got beer and wine to go with it.  Eat around back, watch the sunset.”

“So long as they deliver.”  His eyes were fluttering closed, and within seconds he began to snore.

Groaning, Rose climbed to her feet again, going inside to find the takeaway menus the owner had left behind.  Finding one for pizza, she placed the order for delivery.  With forty-five minutes until it arrived, she hopped in the shower.  And if her fingers happened to slip between her thighs, she refused to feel guilty for it.

* * *

Coming out of the bedroom belting her dressing gown, she found the Doctor rummaging in the fridge.  “Hey.”

“Hey,” he replied, voice muffled.  “D’you want beer or wine?  Or something else?”

“Beer,” she decided, “and water.  Let’s save the froofy concoctions for another day.”

He emerged with two bottles each of beer and water, setting them on the counter.  “How long?”

“Another ten minutes?” she guessed, just as a horn honked from outside.  “Or now?”  She reached for the money she’d already set out on the counter, but he snatched it away.

“You are  _not_  answering the door like that,” he said firmly, skating a lingering gaze over her before moving towards the door.

Rose just smirked, loosening the belt a little before picking up the drinks and moving outside to the table.  The Doctor followed a moment later, setting the pizza down in front of her and taking the seat across.  The wooden bench was warm so she grabbed a towel to sit on, curling up on it with one foot flat, leaning against her thigh.  He was doling out slices, nearly dropping hers when he noticed the bare expanse of her leg.

“Uh…”

“All right?” she asked, suddenly unsure.  Technically he couldn’t see anything impolite, but she did want to tease him.  “Erm, listen,” she started, tucking her hair behind her ear.  “I’m sorry if I pushed you too hard earlier, or made you feel uncomfortable.”

He finished divvying up the pizza, closed the box, and took a long pull from his beer before answering.  “Rose…”  Her stomach dropped.  “It’s just new.  A physical relationship- that’s just not… natural to me.  Don’t misunderstand, I want it, I want to… continue exploring this with you, but it’s not my way- not the way of my people.  And it was okay, before, because I was still me- not that I’m not now- well, I’m not, but not like that- it’s just… just another change.  And if I was still Time Lord I’d probably be able to handle it better, but as a human- physically, I mean- it’s just hard.  And I mean that literally – I have  _appalling_  control over my physical reactions.  There’s a war inside me.  My body wants all of that, immediately, wants to bury itself inside you and never leave.  My hearts- heart- wants to show you how much I love you, wants to find every possible way of expressing what’s inside it.”

He took a ragged breath.  “But my mind… it’s still trying to come to terms with that. That… conditioning, when you’re a child and young adult, the norms, are incredibly hard to break away from.  I’ve never  _done_  this before, had this kind of relationship.  Sure, I’ve held hands with most companions, usually in the middle of trouble, but the kissing, and touching, and everything- that’s new.  You’re the first- the  _only_.  And I’m trying, but sometimes I want it too much and have to slam on the brakes.”

Rose listened with tears in her eyes, longing to reach out and touch him.  When he nodded and took another long drink, she started carefully.  “I get it – there’s a lot going on behind the scenes, with this, for you.  I want to help you with that, help you get to where you want to be.  Doctor, I love  _you_.  Our relationship can be whatever it needs to, so long as at the end of the day we’re together.  Or not, if that’s what you ultimately want.  I want you to be happy.  I want to make you happy, but not more than I want your happiness.”

She exhaled roughly, trying to sort her thoughts.  “Look, I’ll be honest, I want sex.  With you. But the ‘with you’ part’s more important than the ‘sex’ part.”  Her eyes dropped to her beer, and she realized she’d been steadily picking at the label.  “I just want to do this right.  And God, I  _really_ want to stop using the phrase ‘I want’.”

He laughed, loudly, making her grin.  “I want to do this right, too. And what we’ve been doing, so far, has been… more than I ever dreamed of.  I just need time to… to ease into it. Okay?”  And he reached his hand out towards her, palm up, flat on the table.

“Okay.”  She exhaled, extending her own to meet his.  “And whatever you want, or need, that’s okay.  Just, try to keep me in the loop, yeah?  If there’s something that would make it easier on you, say so- we’ll work it out.”

“I’ll try.”  Then he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.  “‘Whatever I want’, huh?  If you really mean that…”

“Yeah?”

He just pumped his eyebrows again, gaze trailing over her chest deliberately.  Rose burst into laughter, glancing around to make sure she couldn’t be seen before untying the dressing gown and letting it slip over her shoulders to pool at her waist.  She felt ridiculous, eating pizza outdoors essentially naked, but the Doctor was still in just his swim trunks and if he wanted to ogle her, well, turnabout was fair play.

* * *

They spent dinner teasing and talking, debating the next day and what they wanted to see in Barcelona.  Once the remaining food was stored in the fridge they moved to the outdoor sofa, stretching out together.  Having slipped away to don a lacy pair of tiny knickers, Rose was content to stretch out half on top of him in nothing else.  He’d changed as well, settling on boxers alone to not make her feel overdressed.

The sun was making its final descent, and Rose could think of nothing more romantic than watching it sink below the horizon lying in her- the Doctor’s arms.  The mood seemed to shift between them as it grew dark, his wandering hands on her back growing bolder.  Rose, for her part, was content to snuggle against him, letting him do as he liked while she rubbed her thumb against his side.  The way they were situated her thighs naturally settled on either side of his leg, a delightful pressure it took effort not to rock down against.  She could feel him growing against her hip, twitching every so often. She wanted desperately to touch him, to pleasure him, but didn’t want to push him beyond his comfort zone.

“So, is there anything to do tonight?” he murmured into her hair, and she had to fight back her first several suggestions.

“There’s a telly.  I think there’s supposed to be some board games in a closet.”

“Scrabble?” he perked up, making her laugh.

“We can do whatever you want,” Rose said firmly, moving her hand to cup his hip just below the waistband, squeezing for good measure.

The Doctor went very still, hands flattening against her spine.  “Maybe- Do you think- Could I-”

Raising her head, Rose tried to make her expression as open and inviting as possible.  “What?”

“Could I… draw you?”

“What?” she repeated, propping herself up a little more to see him better.

“You know, a sketch.”

“You draw?”  It wasn’t what she’d meant to say, but it was what came out, and it must’ve been harsher than intended because his face fell.

“Erm, yeah.  Since I was a kid.”

“And you want to draw  _me_?”

He bit his lip, grimacing.  “Is that a problem?  I certainly don’t have to, obviously, but you look so beautiful, and it’s something I’ve not done in ages- not since I was John Smith at least- long story for another time- and…”

“And?”

The Doctor couldn’t quite meet her eye.  “It’s a drawing of you the other me’ll never have,” he mumbled.

Rose sat up, straddling his thigh as she stared at him in amazement.  “That almost sounds like  _he’s_ got drawings of me.”

“Yeah, dozens.”  He sounded surprised.  “Most aren’t live- meaning you weren’t there when I did them- but…” he shrugged.  “I’d get bored waiting for you to wake up.”

“Most?”

Now he turned sheepish and tentative, rubbing his hands along her thighs.  “Well, you always left your door unlocked…”

“You drew me when I was asleep,” she extrapolated.  “I was asleep, and you… what, missed me so much you’d come into my room?”

“Yes?”

After a moment, Rose melted.  “I love you too, you big softy.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Only that you never joined me in bed.”  She grinned at him, letting her tongue poke out the side of her mouth.

They stared at each other for a long moment.  “Is that a ‘yes’?”

“Of course.”  Rose didn’t move.  “After all, you’ve already carved a statue of me – what’s a drawing?  But seriously, love, I’d be honored.  Erm,  _how_  would you draw me?”

“Uh…”

She bit her lip, hiding a smile.  “Doctor, do you want to draw me  _naked_?”

“The technical term is ‘nude’,” he said stiffly, sitting up straight as well.  “And it’s entirely up to you.”

“Okay.”  Kissing him hard, she reluctantly climbed off his lap.  “You’re the artist, direct.”

“Let me grab some supplies,” he decided, pressing his lips to hers quickly.  “Wait here.”  He vanished back into the house, and she tried to settle on a possible pose.  Like a pinup girl?  The scene from Titanic?  Sensual? Pornographic?  Somewhere in the middle?  Still in her knickers, or completely bare?  How much of her did he want to draw anyway?

He jogged back with an armful of stuff, dumping it onto the ottoman in front of her.  “Right, there’s not much light, but this should help.”  He’d grabbed the lantern from the large table, lighting the candle and setting it on the ottoman.  “Uh, what do you feel comfortable with?”

“How much of me do you want to draw?”

“Whatever you want.”  He looked nervous, glancing her over.  “Erm, I was kind of thinking, maybe stretched out on your side?  On the couch?”

“Knickers?”  Removing some of the pillows from it to give her more room she stretched out, trying a few different poses to see what she could sustain.

The Doctor swallowed harshly, staring at the scrap of material on her hips.

“Off?” she teased, lowering the waistband slightly.

“That- that would be okay,” he fumbled, and taking a deep breath Rose pulled them down, hoping the darkness would hide her blush.  She was naked. In the dark.  Outside.  But she was with the Doctor, and she trusted him above all else.  This wasn’t Jimmy, or even Mickey, and certainly not Mickey’s friend Vic.

“Now what?”  Adorable as it was, his discomfort eased hers, making her feel more confident and open to the idea.  She playfully popped her foot in the air, toes pointing straight up.

The Doctor inched closer, moving slowly as he settled his palm on her hip, making her shiver.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, turning her head to kiss whatever part of him she could reach, which turned out to be his forearm.  “I trust you. Entirely.”

He relaxed, touch firmer as he shifted her.  “On your side, please?”

Rose moved as directed, propping her head up with her hand before lying it down, resting on her arm as she would in bed.  “How’s this?”

He slowly took her in, eyes lingering in the typical places, before adjusting how her calves lay.  “Comfortable?”

“Perfect.  Fair warning – I may fall asleep.”

The Doctor laughed, settling on the ottoman across from her and picking up an honest-to-God sketchbook.  “That’s fine.  If you change your mind at any point, just say so.”

And he put pencil to paper.

* * *

Despite her best intentions Rose must’ve drifted off at some point, because the next thing she knew he was shaking her awake.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, eyes fluttering open.  “Did I ruin it?”

“Of course not,” he whispered, “but I’m done, and it’s late.  Can I carry you to bed?”

Rose hesitated only a moment before nodding, and he scooped her up into a bridal carry.  She snuggled into his arms, face pressed to his bicep, eyes drifting shut as he brought her through the house and only opening again when he set her on the bed.  Moaning softly, she pulled him down on top of her. “C’mere.”

He tumbled on top of her, long lines pressed against her curves.  He was hard, and it would be easy,  _so easy_ , to slip him out through the slit, to guide him inside her.  But he wasn’t ready, and she had to respect that.  Even if she was beginning to wonder if ‘death by sexual frustration’ was possible.

“I’ve gotta get dressed,” she sighed, pleased when he whimpered.

“Do you, though?”

Her eyes opened, and she gave him an amused grin.  “You needed time.”

“Yeah, but sleeping naked’s a thing, though, isn’t it?” the Doctor protested.  “Doesn’t mean we’ve got to- to-”

“Shag?  No.  But I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.  So, pajamas for both of us – at least for tonight.”

He rolled off of her with a groan, spreading out on the other side of the bed as Rose went to her luggage, digging around for her admittedly slinky nightgown.  She didn’t want to, was loving the freedom of being naked and carefree around him, but she was too desperate for him – it wasn’t a good idea. Especially not if he was going to lie there in just tented boxers, looking like something out of a fragrance commercial.   _Fuck_ , she wanted him.

As a compromise she pulled the silky material over her head, not bothering to add knickers.  She felt sexy and confident, and digging out her toiletries, sauntered into the bathroom.  Her makeup was long gone, but she took her time with the rest of her routine until it came to the point of actively avoiding going out to the bedroom.

Taking a deep breath she pushed the doors open to find the Doctor snoring away on his side of the bed.  Still in his boxers he hadn’t moved, and she just shook her head fondly.  A quick wander through the house ensured all the lights were off and the doors locked, so she returned to the bedroom, killing the light there as well before climbing in.

As soon as her head hit the pillow the Doctor moved, wrapping himself around her.  “Love?” she whispered, to only hear steady breathing in reply.  Snuggling down, she let herself fall asleep in his arms.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Stuff of Legend takes on Barcelona - and further steps in their physical relationship.

Drifting awake the next morning, Rose was disappointed but unsurprised to find herself alone in bed.  After stumbling to the toilet she didn’t bother with a dressing gown, just padded to the kitchen in her skimpy nighty.

“Good morning!”  The Doctor was chipper as ever, meeting her in the living room and pressing a mug into her hands.  “Let’s sit outside.”  He steered her out to the back patio, and they curled up together on the sofa from the previous evening.  Rose kept her eyes closed as she sipped her tea, listening with one ear as he chattered about his plans for the day – she got the gist of it, which was they would go into Barcelona and play tourist – as she mostly focused on sifting through the day before and drinking her perfectly-made tea.

“What do you think?”

“Sounds perfect, love,” she yawned, snuggling her head into his shoulder.  “Soon’s I’m done my cuppa.”

He hummed in agreement, his arm a pleasant weight on her thighs where they draped over his lap, fingers sliding over her knee.

After a few minutes, she swung her legs away with a groan, standing and stretching her back.  “C’mon, let’s get ready and go.”

“This was nice,” he protested feebly, reaching for her.  “Come back.”

Rose considered him for a moment, before straddling his waist and kissing him deeply.  “Unless you’re suddenly ready for sex, I need to go put clothes on.  You’re too damn tempting.”

He reluctantly let her go, waiting until she backed away to stand as well.  “So are you.”

Laughing, she pulled him back to their room.  “Go change,” she ordered, “so we can get out of this house and I can have a full minute of not thinking about shagging you.”

“Not sure I want that,” he murmured, pressing his mouth to hers before grabbing his clothes.

“Tease!”

* * *

Two hours later, Rose listened with one ear to the tour guide.  They’d found a free walking tour, and for once the Doctor was willing to let someone else be the expert.  Holding hands they were at the back of the group, just soaking up the ambiance and the time together.

“Look behind you, five o’clock,” the Doctor muttered in her ear, blatantly staring over her head.  “Not too quick!”

“Trouble?” she whispered back hopefully, slowly pivoting.  Trained eyes scanned the area, but she didn’t see anything noteworthy; in fact, there wasn’t much to see at all, just little shops.  A few passersby, but on the whole, a quiet area. “What is it?”

“Gelato.”

She raised an eyebrow.  “Ice cream?  Really? It’s ten in the morning.”

“Gelato, it’s not the same,” he hissed.  “And, yes.”

Rose bit her lip, glancing between him, the store, and the tour guide.

“Come on, he’s boring, we can go exploring on our own,” he coaxed, and she sighed in surrender.

“Okay.”

The Doctor brightened immediately, grabbing her hand and hissing, “Run!”

They took off across the square together, shrieking with laughter as the guide shouted after them.  The shop was quiet on account of the hour, and they ended up with a seven-scoop monstrosity to share at his insistence as they walked around.

“So, tell me about the planet,” Rose suggested, digging her spoon into the coffee flavored scoop.

“What, Earth?”  The Doctor was working on the banana scoop, trying to cram as much on the tiny plastic spoon as physically possible.

“No, Barcelona.”

He stopped walking, glancing down at her in surprise.  “What?”

“When you were first regenerating, after the Gamestation, you mentioned wanting to take me to the planet Barcelona – not that we ever went.  I was just wondering what it was like, if it was anything like the city.”

He started walking again, slower this time.  “Well, it’s… shall we say peak is during the 32nd century.  Solar flares in the 25th century forced humans off Earth, and they mostly left in great big ships holding entire countries.  Well, Spain had broken up by then so the Catalan contingent set off on its own – localism was big at the time.  They found a nice little planet in the next system over, terraformed it, and moved in.  Took a handful of generations to build it up, big revivalist movement when they were doing the planning, decided to recreate home.  The modern conveniences were installed of course, but otherwise it was built exactly as it had been in the height of its empire in the, oh, 13th century.  With handpicked modern buildings, such as a completed La Sagrada Familia as well, naturally.  The rest of the Iberian Peninsula’s occupants, meaning the other Spanish contingents and the Portuguese, settled on nearby planets, so they had trade and travel and everything.”

“And the dogs?”

“No noses,” he confirmed, “which look a little odd at first glance but you get used to it.  Well, we say dogs, but they’re really the indigenous version of wolves domesticated over the centuries.”

“Sounds brilliant,” Rose sighed, leaning her head briefly on his shoulder.  “We should try and go, when the TARDIS is fully grown.”

“First stop,” he promised with a grin.  “Provided it exists in this universe.”

“Perfect.”

* * *

They spent the rest of the day wandering through the city, letting the Doctor’s encyclopedic mind be their guide.  Rose was never quite sure whether she was relieved or disappointed that nothing unusual happened, but it was good to be able to relax with him.  They were finding their way again, remembering how it was to be alone together, something that hadn’t happened in more than five years for her.  As much as she loved her parents and brother, their constant presence wasn’t conducive to reconnecting and being together like they had been before.  Then and there, Rose resolved to start looking for a place of their own as soon as they returned to London.

They got street food for lunch, and dinner was a cute little bistro along the waterfront, the Balearic Sea stretching out in front of them as the sun set.

“This was a perfect day,” Rose murmured, as they walked back to the car arm in arm.

He squeezed her closer, pressing his lips to the crown of her head.  “Any day with you’s a perfect day, no matter what we’re doing.”

“Ditto.”  Then she reconsidered.  “Well, I’d say ‘great’.   _Any_ day is great.  Any day where we’re not nearly executed is ‘perfect’.”

“Ah, live a little,” the Doctor scoffed.  “Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“The gallows in Salem Town,” she retorted.  “I have plenty a sense of adventure, believe me, but… I’ve had too many too close calls in the last few years, with my jumps.  Nearly dying generally during an outing?  Fine.  But being  _executed?_   No thanks.”

He opened and closed his mouth several times, before changing the subject.  “Anything else you want to do while we’re here?”

She let him.  “Not today. I’d like to come in later this week and go shopping, and take a day or two and go see the countryside, but mostly I want to spend my time in the pool or by the beach.”

“Molto bene,” he proclaimed, before frowning.  “Or, in this case, muy bien.”

Rose wrinkled her nose as he opened the car door for her.  “Maybe stick to Italian.”

“Yeah…”

* * *

They drove back in the dark, listening to the local radio.  He was behind the wheel this time, one hand steering as the other held her own.  The wind whipped Rose’s hair, the water sparkling in the clear moonlight on her right, and she thanked her lucky stars that she was here in this moment, with him.

“More wine on the patio?” she suggested as they entered the house.

“Sure.”  He snatched the bottle opener from her fingers with a kiss.  “D’you want to go change? Get comfortable?”

Rose leaned back to study him.  From any other bloke that would be code for ‘put on lingerie’, but his expression was perfectly innocent, as though genuinely concerned about her comfort level.  “All right.”

In the bedroom she pawed through her drawers, trying to decide on something.  Was it code?  Should she wear something regular?  Sexy?  Somewhere between?  Finally she settled on boyshorts and a tank with no bra.  Comfortable, not inherently seductive, it was easy access without blatant advertising.

She found him out on the couch, two full wine glasses on the ottoman in front of him as he stared up at the sky.  “Hey.”

“Hi.”  His eyes raked over her, and she thought they darkened at so much skin on display, but he didn’t react otherwise but to hand her one of the glasses, keeping the other for himself.  “Sit.”

Rose settled on the couch next to him, her legs curled up under her as she leaned into his side.  He didn’t seem to mind, simply settled his arm around her shoulders and held her close. Staring up as well, she sighed.  “I hate that we weren’t able to bring the stars back.”  There were still plenty twinkling away, and the average person might barely notice any were missing, but Rose knew.  She’d been the first to see them go out, had raised the alarm.  Hundreds were gone, vanished from the naked eye, and a fresh wave of hatred for Davros and the Daleks washed through her.

“We stopped it happening.  There’s nothing more we could have done,” he reminded her.  “And now we’re here, together, so as awful as it was, it still pulled us home, so it wasn’t all bad.”

“Home?” Rose repeated, rolling her eyes.  “I’m still here in this universe, only now you’re stuck here with me.”

“Yeah, but stuck with you, that’s not so bad,” he teased, and she reluctantly grinned.  “Besides, home is where the heart is, yeah?  And my heart’s been here for a long time now.”

“Aww,” she cooed, “that’s so cute.”  Stretching her neck she kissed him, leaning into it.

He responded passionately, working his tongue between her lips to flick around her mouth.  One hand came up to burrow into her hair, holding her against him.  Rose matched his furor, fisting his shirt for leverage as she fought back, sucking at his tongue before forcing it back to his mouth, hers chasing it to explore his own.

Her wine glass spilled with their movement and she broke away, panting, to right it.  She glanced up at the Doctor, intending to apologize as he’d been splashed, but the hungry look in his eye wiped the thought from her mind.  Snatching his own glass, she set them both on the ottoman before shifting.

“What-” he started to protest, falling silent when she slung her leg over his hip and straddled him, pressing down against the hint of bulge there.  He grunted, hands coming to her hips and forcing her down harder against him.

Rose hummed in approval as she grasped his head and dove back into him.  They struggled for dominance in the kiss, fighting in every arena.  Her hips rocked against him, feeling him grow as his hands plastered themselves to her bum, helping guide her movements.  One of her hands tangled in his hair as the other grasped the back of the couch, using the hold for leverage as she moved over him.

“This okay?” she gasped, breaking the kiss.

“Don’t stop,” he hissed, throwing his head back and exposing his throat.  “Keep doing that.”

“Tell me if I need to,” Rose ordered, before lowering her mouth to his adam’s apple.  “Don’t hesitate.” The Doctor moaned, loudly, as she nipped, licked, and sucked at his neck and jaw, still moving against him.  She shifted the angle at one point, so she could receive more of the stimulation, and the change made him cry out.

“Still okay?”

“Fuck, yes,” he cursed, and she nearly lost her rhythm in surprise at the vulgarity.  “Yes, Rose,  _yes_.”

Her skin tingled; she was close, and sensed the Doctor was just on the precipice as well.  Resolved to bring them both over- damn the consequences- she was bearing down with all she had, sucking his earlobe into her mouth as he panted beneath her, when a ringing filtered through her mind.

“Wha’?”  Her hips instinctively slowed, head raising as she blearily looked around in confusion as the Doctor whimpered.  The ringing continued, and as she stopped moving, she realized it was her mobile.  “Shit!”

“No!” the Doctor protested, as she leaned back to grab it from the ottoman, where it sat under a napkin.  “Rose!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she chanted, answering the call.  “What?!”

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” her mother snarked, and Rose almost cried.

“Yes.  What do you want?”

“How’s your trip been so far?  I thought you were going to call.”

Rose grit her teeth, her lower half throbbing painfully in desperate need of release.  “It’s going well.  The house is nice.  Yesterday was spent in the ocean and pool.  Today we went to Barcelona.”

“Oooh, how was that?  What did you see?  Did you do any shopping?”

“Mum-” Rose rubbed at her forehead with her other hand, trying to focus.  “I told you we’d tell you all about it when we got back.”

“I know, but it’s been five years love, I’m not used to not talking to you every day anymore.  I miss you.”

“Mum, I’m on holiday with my boyfriend,” she grit out, “and I already told you you were interrupting.  Can I call you tomorrow?  We can talk for as long as you like then.”

“Oh, what could you be in the middle of that’s more important?” Jackie scoffed, a commotion behind her.

“Mum, I’m hanging up,” Rose bit out.  “If there’s an emergency, spit it out.  Otherwise, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Oh, fine,” she relented.  “Whatever.  I see how it’s going to be – just like before, eh?  No time for your mum. Just remember to use a condom. I’m too young to be a gran.”  And she hung up.

Rose screeched in frustration, tossing the mobile to the other side of the couch.  “She just- she just- argh!”  She met the Doctor’s gaze, biting her lip at the pleading, needy look she found there.  “Sorry.”

He grunted.  “Erm, what we were doing was… nice.”

“Good.”

“It… seemed like it was about to get nicer?” he continued sheepishly.

“If you mean you were about to have an orgasm, yeah, was ‘bout to get  _very_  nice.  For both of us.”

“D’you think- can we possibly-”

Rose hummed in encouragement, rubbing at his shoulders.  “Whatever it is, you can say it.”

“Can you… keep going?” he finally managed, not quite meeting her eye.  “Please?”

“You wanted to wait,” she reminded him gently.  “You weren’t ready.  I don’t want you to have any regrets, or feel like things happened too soon.”

“It’s okay,” the Doctor promised, finally meeting her gaze.  “I really liked what we were doing, and want to… to see it through.  If you’re okay with it.”

Rose bit her lip, looking over his shoulder as she considered.  “You sure?”

“Yes.”  He kissed her sweetly.  “Very sure.”

“Okay.”  And she climbed off his lap.  “This might be a bit easier if you take off your shorts – but leave the boxers on.”

He did as directed eagerly, leaving them in a pile on the ground as he sat back against the couch, this time in the middle.  “Good?”

“Mhmm.”  Rose climbed on top of him carefully, reaching for him before hesitating.  “Can I… adjust you?”

“Okay.”

She gingerly reached between them, shifting his erection through his pants so she wouldn’t hurt him.  “Right.”  Snuggling down against him, she adjusted both of them until she was satisfied. “Ready?”

“Please.”

She slowly began to rock down on him, and he immediately perked back up.  Tilting her hips forward so he began to hit her perfectly, she let out a ragged moan.  The Doctor’s grip had returned to her hips, holding her so tightly she suspected there would be bruises tomorrow.  She hoped there were.

It didn’t take them long to build back up, and soon their sighs and moans painted the night air, as she writhed on top of him.  All at once it was too much and not enough, and she nearly sobbed with relief when his hands came up to play with her breasts, teasing her nipples.  “Close, close, close,  _fuck_  babe I’m so close.”  She had a death grip on the back of the sofa, rocking over him desperately.  Her eyes were closed, head thrown back, which meant she was entirely unprepared for a warm, wet mouth to close over her breast through the thin cotton and suckle the nipple.  “Shit!”  With a loud cry she came, collapsing forward onto his chest as he groaned in her ear.

Heart pounding, she didn’t move for what felt like forever until she remembered him and sat up, groaning.  “Did you…”  One look at his blissed-out face was enough of an answer, and she fought down a giggle. “What’d you think?”

“Is it always like that?” he asked in a daze, fingertips drawing lazy circles on her hips.

Rose stretched her back, pushing her hips into his and wrinkling her nose at the damp mess between them.  “No.  It’s usually better.”

“I don’t know if I could survive better,” the Doctor mumbled.  “That was… that was… oh,  _Rose_.”  Cupping the back of her head, he drew her towards him for a tender kiss.  “Thank you.”

She hummed.  “You’re welcome – and thank  _you_.”

After a moment they burst into laughter, letting it ring out into the night air.

“I’m starting to understand your species obsession with this particular pastime,” he drawled, and Rose giggled, kissing his nose.

“Babe, you haven’t got a  _clue_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Chapter 5 will be up on April 7th.


	5. Chapter 5

Rose woke the next morning to tea on the nightstand, blinking blearily at the mug.  “Wha’?”

“Good morning!”  She wasn’t sure how it was possible for him to be twice as Tigger-like as the day before, but he launched himself onto the bed next to her making the whole mattress shake.  “How are you, my love?”

“Still riding the endorphins, huh?” she teased, rolling over to kiss him.  They’d called it an early night, the day of sightseeing followed by a spectacular, much-needed orgasm each having drained their energy.

“It’s a beautiful day, let’s go to the beach,” the Doctor declared, boldly slipping his hand under the hem of her negligee to settle firmly on her bumcheek.  “Sand, sun.  Whatever.” He squeezed, making her yelp out a laugh.

“Bit cheeky there, aren’t you?”

“Dunno, seems to me like  _you’re_  all cheek.”  His other arm wriggled its way between her and the mattress to cup the other side of her bum and pull her towards him.

Rose moaned, kissing him deeply as his hands wandered over the curves.  “Maybe you should spank me.”

She froze when he did, pulling back slightly and opening his eyes.  “Is that… something you like?”

Eyes widening slightly, she studied his deer in the headlights expression.  “Not historically,” she considered, “but then again, they didn’t ask, just did it.  Maybe it’s something we could explore?  At some point?”

“Anything you want.”  He was still frowning, and she sighed, leaning forward to kiss him again.

“Stop thinking about the past,” she whispered.

The Doctor’s face smoothed out.  “I’m thinking about what sort of bathing suit you’re going to wear today.”

“Got a request?”

He hesitated, and Rose perked up in interest.  She could see something percolating in the back of his mind, and hoped he felt comfortable enough to share it.  “Actually…”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe scarlet?  And/or orange?”

“Okay.”  Surprised, she tried not to show it.  “Can I ask why?”

The Doctor licked his lips.  “Does it matter?”

“No.”  Rose rested one hand on his chest, over his heart.  “You don’t have to tell me.  But if you ever want to…”

He nodded, darting forward to kiss her.  “Another time.  For now, though, tea, breakfast, then beach!”  Gently pulling his arm free he jumped from the bed, peering out the window.  “Not a cloud in the sky!  Shake a leg!”

Rose climbed out of bed, taking a sip of her tea and stretching before accusing, “You just want to see me in a bikini.”

“Less, ideally.”  He grinned, unrepentant.  “Allons-y!”

* * *

 

It took them an hour to get ready but once they were down on the shore, she had to admit it was the perfect day.

“Water?”  Having already removed his shoes and shirt the Doctor was bouncing on his toes, raring to go.

Rose smiled, rolling her eyes at the oversized five-year-old.  “Yeah, all right.”  Kicking off her own sandals, she pulled off her cover-up before hesitating.  A glance around showed no one in sight, and biting her lip, she deliberately untied her top and put it in her bag with her other things.  “Okay.”  He glanced at her, doing a double take, and she shrugged innocently.  “What? I don’t want tan lines.”

“Come on.”  He offered her his hand, and they ran into the water together shrieking.

They played together for more than an hour, swimming and splashing before the Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly to him.  “There’s snorkeling gear in the bag – d’you want to have a go?”

“I’ve never snorkeled before,” she pointed out.  “But if you’re willing to teach me, I’ll try.”

“See, that’s why we’re such a good team,” he beamed down at her.  “When one’s unfamiliar with something, the other takes the time to teach them so we can enjoy it together.”  His meaning was abundantly clear even before he tweaked her nipple.

“You saying you want me to teach you about sex?” Rose shot back, unsurprised when he nodded.  “Well, let’s see how snorkeling goes, yeah?”  He scrambled out of the water, grabbing the supplies before hightailing it back to her as she laughed.  “Eager, are we?”

He scanned her figure, eyes lingering as expected on her chest.  For someone who claimed to be unpredictable, his tastes certainly weren’t.  “Something like that.”

She shook her head, holding a hand out.  “Let’s get started.”

It wasn’t easy, breathing underwater through a tube wasn’t quite instinctive, though she did feel better when the Doctor struggled as well.

“Sorry,” he said, as they headed up the beach to their things, “I didn’t know it was so hard.  In all honesty, I’ve never done it before.”

“Why would you, with a respiratory bypass?” she let him off the hook, smiling reassuringly.  “It’s all right.  I’m glad we tried it, but let’s stick to just the masks.”

The Doctor stopped walking, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards him so he could kiss her.  “I love you,” he muttered against her mouth. “So much.”

“I love you too.”  She kissed him back, rising onto the balls of her feet to wrap her arms around him.  Soft sand between her toes, warm sun on her skin, and they were pressed tightly against each other with nary a stitch between them from the waist up.  “Want to go snog on the beach?”

“Um, yes!”

* * *

 

They made dinner together, steaks on the grill and a nice tossed salad.  Rose carried the wine out to the table, pouring two glassfuls as the Doctor served the food.

She took one bite of the steak and moaned.  “Bloody ‘ell, Doctor, this is absolutely brill- what’s wrong?”

He had stopped dead, staring off unseeingly behind her.  His fork halfway to his mouth, he barely appeared to be breathing.  A quick glance over her shoulder showed nothing out of the ordinary, and biting her lip, she gently reached for him.

“Doctor?”

He came alive all at once, shaking his head and taking his bite.  “Sorry.”

“Where’d you go?”  Rose was careful to keep her voice light, open and inquisitive without being interrogating.  Since arriving in this universe he’d been pretty good about sharing things, but not everything.  He was like a puppy or toddler - if you gave chase he’d head for the hills, but give him a little space and he’d come to her sooner or later.  Usually sooner.

“I was just… the little garden back there… what was the name of the station?”

“What station?”

“The train- where we got the car.”

“Oh!  Perpignan.”

“Perpignan,” he repeated.  “Okay.”  And he stuck a large forkful of lettuce in his mouth, making a show of chewing.

Rose waited until he was done.  “D’you want to talk about it?”

The Doctor stared down at his salad as he stabbed at it.  She kept eating, trying to keep the pressure off.  If she pushed too hard he tended to shut down, but if she let it be, more often than not he’d share.

They were halfway through the meal when he spoke quietly.  “The garden reminded me… I used to travel with a girl named Peri.  She was a botany student from the States.”

“Ah.  Were you- was she with you long?”

He snorted.  “Too long, I’m sure she’d say.  She met me right before a regeneration, and while the first was fine the second… it didn’t start well.  That body was… a bit on the abrasive side.  She didn’t like that me very much.”

“What happened?  To her, I mean.”

The Doctor shrugged, leaning back with a sigh.  “She died, but she didn’t. I think there’s still multiple versions of her running around.  Just thinking about it gives  _me_  a headache.  Various versions of her traveled with me.  But they also didn’t. Some married this warrior king we met on our last proper adventure in various ways.  The Time Lords… politics is politics, and she was used as a pawn by a number of factions.  It’s complicated, suffice to say.”

“Oh.”  Rose searched for a suitable reply but came up empty.  “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks.”  He started eating again, as she wrinkled her nose.

“Wait, sorry, what does that have to do with the train station?”

The Doctor began laughing, leaning back as he guffawed, making her raise an eyebrow at the uncharacteristic action.

“Doctor?”

“Her name,” he snorted, shaking his head and taking a sip from his wine.

“Peri?”

“Short for Perpugilliam.”

“You’re  _kidding_ me.”  Rose’s draw dropped.  “Seriously? That was her  _name?_ ”

“She was born in the 60s.”  He shrugged, grinning at her flabbergasted expression.  “She pretty much always went by Peri, but, yeah – Perpugilliam.”

“Poor girl,” Rose muttered, staring out at the horizon as she considered it.  She hadn’t always been fond of her own name – especially not when they were studying Romeo and Juliet in school – but now, she was thankful her parents had gone for something simple.  And easy to spell.

“If you think  _that’s_  bad…” the Doctor teased, drawing her attention.

“Yeah?  Come on, out with it!  It is  _your_  name?  Bet it’s even worse,” she shot back, straightening with anticipation.

He just smirked, shaking his head.  “My name’s the Doctor, Rose, I thought we’d long since covered this.  No, I was thinking of another Time Lord- well, Time Lady, in this case.”

“Yeah?”

The Doctor hesitated, watching as she bounced with anticipation.  “My friend Romana?”

“From Paris?” Rose remembered vaguely from their conversation on the train.

“Yep.  Romanadvoratrelundar.”

“Gesundheit.”

“Danke schön.”

“You’re killing me here,” Rose giggled.  “Can you say it again?”

“Which one? Perpugilliam?  Or Romanadvoratrelundar?”

“Wow.”  She just shook her head, draining her glass before popping the last bite of steak into her mouth.  “Just…  _wow_.”

“See?  Nothing wrong with nicknames,” he smirked, pouring her more wine.  “Look at your own mum – who ever calls her ‘Jacqueline’?”

“Fair point.”  Rose settled back in her seat as he dove into his likely now-cold meal with relish, cradling her wine glass to her chest.  “So, have a number of your friends run off with alien men, then?”

He tilted his head in consideration, chewing thoughtfully.  “A handful.  Well, not all were  _alien_  men, but still.  Erm- one, Jo, she was my assistant when I was at UNIT, the one before Sarah.  She met a professor who wanted to go off and protest… something, and save the world, and she wanted to go with him.  Within a few days, they were engaged.”

“Now,  _that’s_  a fast relationship,” Rose commented with a grin.  “What happened to them?”

“Oh, a lifetime of environmental and political activism.  Seven children, twelve grandchildren at last count.  I popped by once in a while to check on her, but I never- she never saw me.”

She hummed in reply.  “Anyone else?”

“My granddaughter.”

She froze, barely breathing as she took in his statement.  He’d mentioned, casually, not long before they’d been separated that he’d been a father, not that she’d been able to get him to expand on that.  But a  _grand_ father?  “Oh?”

The Doctor pushed back abruptly from the table, coming around to offer her his hand.  She took it automatically, and he led her over to the couch where they curled up together.  Rose allowed it, but didn’t miss that he’d positioned them so she couldn’t see his face.

“Yes.  We were on Earth, 22nd century, and… she met a boy.”

“And she left?”  His arms tightened around her, and she had a feeling of foreboding.  “Doctor?”

“I left her,” he whispered into her hair, and her heart stopped.  “I knew she’d never leave me, so I left her.  Locked her out and took off, as she pounded on the door.”

 _Now, I’ve just got to go and power up the Game Station. Hold on!_   One of her last clear memories on the GameStation came to mind, how he’d tricked her.  Sure, she’d been stuck  _inside_  the ship, but she’d pounded on the door, begged him not to.  Because of Bad Wolf blocking most of those memories that was her last clear image of that Doctor before he regenerated, his quick smile and gung ho attitude, filling her with confidence and hope.  False hope.

She didn’t know if it made her feel better or worse to know he’d treated his own flesh and blood, his granddaughter, just the same.  It also explained quite a bit – like why he was always so certain she’d meet someone and run off, leaving him behind.  Or why he never fought harder for her to stay.  Why he pushed her away.

“Do you know-”

“They got married.”  He shrugged, the movement shifting her against his chest.  “I know they raised children, though I don’t know if they were biological – she probably wouldn’t have been capable of that.  Gallifreyans were long since sterile.”

Rose’s spine stiffened, her mother’s babbling about grandchildren echoing through her mind.  “What about us?”

“What  _about_  us?”

“Would we be able to-”

“Have children?” he finished, sounding surprised.  “No idea- hadn’t thought about it.  Is that… something you’ve thought about?”

“ _Thought_ about?  Of course.  I don’t know what I want, necessarily, but I’ve thought about it.”  She’d dreamed about it, been unable  _not_  to imagine herself in that situation as she watched her mum’s pregnancy then Tony growing up.  How he might dote on a tiny daughter, giving a pretend tea party his all.  How he would show a toddler son how rain and dirt made mud, and what fun it was to make Jackie and Rose yell.

“Oh.”

Rose bit her lip, shifting on his lap to be able to see him.  “Mum, however, has been buying me baby name books since you got here.”

He blanched, arms squeezing her.  “I’m open to the conversation – later.  Much later.  That’s as much as I can promise.”

“Oh, is that it?”  The moment felt too heavy, too real, and Rose sought to diffuse it, grinning cheekily.

“Yes?”

“Well, ‘s just- I thought you were interested in practicin’, is all.”

“Practicing?”

Rose shifted on his lap so she was straddling him, letting him see her smile as she wrapped her arms around his neck, forcing images of tiny newborns cradled in his long arms out of her mind.  “Practice makin’ the babies.”

After a moment his expression lightened, and he snickered.  “Well, you know me – be ready for anything.”

Combing her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, Rose let her smile fade.  “I won’t ask, if you don’t want me to, but- I hope you know you can talk about it, with me.  Any of it.  Past companions, your family, Gallifrey… I love you, and I’m interested, but I know it’s a sensitive subject so I won’t push.  Just know that I’m here.”

He grew serious as well, nodding slowly.  “No promises, but- thanks.”

Rose held his gaze for a long moment, willing him to see her sincerity, before she changed the subject.  “Now- let’s go dive into that chocolate cake we bought, yeah?”  She climbed off his lap, offering him a grin with her hand, and he reciprocated both.

“Oh, I know better than to stand between a Tyler and her chocolate!”


	6. Chapter 6

Rose came to slowly, her well-trained senses already cataloguing everything around her before she even opened her eyes.  The sun was shining brightly, wind whistling gently.  The sheets were soft beneath her, and, most importantly of all, a warm body lay inches away, almost close enough to touch.

Her eyes fluttered open, meeting the Doctor’s, and she only had a moment to smile and take in his intense expression before he rolled her onto her back, pressing their mouths together.  She gasped softly, melting into his kiss and the mattress as he did his damnedest to devour her.  Pleasure and desire coursed through her, setting her on fire, her thighs naturally parting to let him settle against her, hips rolling up against his.  Hands roamed, her mind going hazy as she wondered _Is this it?  Is this our moment?_

He was hard, rocking down to meet her, and she was just sliding her hands down his back and into his shorts at his bum when he abruptly pulled away, smoothly rolling off the bed to stand beside her, panting.

“Wha’?”  Confused, she sat upright, staring at him.  His eyes were impossibly dark and focused on her chest, watching it move with her breath, and she shook her head slightly to clear it.  “What’s wrong?”

“I should go make breakfast,” was all he said, gaze trailing over her body and fixing at the juncture of her thighs.  When dressing for bed she’d gone for the nightie only, not bothering with knickers; their epic snog and wandering hands had shifted the hem up to her hips, leaving her bare to his view for the first time.  “You should shower.”

Rose’s brow furrowed, and she shifted until she was kneeling in front of him; because of their height differential, she still only came up to mid-chest.  “Or you could come back to bed,” she invited, unsurprised but still disappointed when he shook his head and sighed.

“No.”  He leaned down, kissing her deeply until she whimpered, one cheeky hand finding and cupping her breast, teasing the nipple to a hard peak.  “Shower and breakfast.”  He turned and spun on his heel, marching out of the room without a single glance back and leaving her alone and conflicted in the middle of their bed.

“Okay?”

* * *

Twenty minutes later she joined him in the kitchen, showered and wearing only her dressing gown and a face full of makeup.  Standing in the bathroom staring at her reflection, she’d decided to go with just the gown, tying it loosely.  “Hey.”

“Hi!” he greeted her enthusiastically enough, kissing her quickly.  Bacon still sizzled in the frying pan as he plated fried eggs, hash browns already spooned out.  “This’ll just be another minute, d’you want to do the tea?”

“Okay.”  It was already made, all she had to do was add cream and sugar to taste, but he took so much sugar in his by the time she moved the mugs to the table everything else was done.  “So-”

“So, I was thinking we could go wine tasting today!”  He dug into the food with relish, talking as he chewed and making her wrinkle her nose.  “I booked us a private tour so we don’t have to worry about driving.  We’re scheduled for five, with lunch at the third.  Oh!  Did you know Catalonia has its own answer to champagne?  It’s called _cava_ , and it’s a sparkling wine.  The area is full of wineries, and has been for… two and a half millennia?  Greeks planted the first vines around then, though the Romans expanded the idea across the whole area.  There are actually twelve different wine regions _just_ in Catalonia!”

Rose picked at her food, listening to him ramble.  Something was clearly off, but she couldn’t quite figure out _what_.  He was talking too fast, bouncing his leg and making the table rattle, with an overall _mad scientist_ look in his eye.  Was he overwhelmed by their growing physical relationship?   _But he initiated the snog this morning!_  Was he bored?   _This isn’t boredom_.

Whatever it was, it was making her nervous and she could barely choke down the beautiful spread, anxiety and fear swirling in her stomach and leaving no room for food.

* * *

By the time they were done he’d barely stopped for breath, and she hadn’t said a word until she cut him off mid-sentence as they stood from the table.

“Doctor!”

He paused, blinking down at her, mouth still open mid-word.  “Yes?”

The fear in his eyes made her frown, but all she said was, “I’ll handle clean up – why don’t you go shower and get ready?  What time is the car coming?”

“An hour.”  He relaxed slightly, shoulders unhunching, though he still seemed uncertain.  “Okay.”

“Okay.”

She watched him go, mostly out of concern but a little to watch his bum – it was certainly a good one.   _Down, girl_.  Setting to work and feeling guilty about enjoying the peaceful silence, she hummed quietly to herself as she listened to the shower run.

In the three months he’d been here, in this universe, she’d gotten to know his routine quite well.  By far the largest time-suck was doing his hair in the morning (no surprise), but he was usually quick in the shower – too quick, perhaps, but he often suggested (damn near pleaded, really) that she be in the room with him doing her makeup as he washed up.  With an opaque shower door revealing only his outline she usually agreed, understanding that after so long apart he didn’t want to be separated from her more than necessary – something she wholeheartedly agreed with.

The mornings that he _didn’t_ invite her, however, were also the mornings without fail that he took long, lingering showers, and she didn’t have to be a genius to know what was happening _then_.

The water was still running when she finished clearing the table, and she smirked to herself as she headed for the bedroom to get dressed for the day.  It was always reassuring to know she affected him as much as he did her, that they both wanted each other that way.  Crossing that final hurdle was just around the corner, she knew it in her bones, but couldn’t help wondering if one would die of sexual frustration first.  For a moment her thoughts drifted towards the tiny vibrator hidden in her makeup bag – she’d originally expected it would be quietly retired once they were reunited, but in the last three months it had seen more use than the five years previous.

Rose licked her lips as, unbidden, an image of him in the shower popped into her mind.   _Warm water streaming over him, soapy suds clinging to muscles, eyes sliding closed as his hand wrapped around his_ -

“All right?”

Her own eyes popped open, starting as the Doctor entered the room with just a towel slung low on his hips.  “Uh huh.”  She scanned him slowly as she finished with her jewelry, tongue peeking out of the corner of her mouth as she grinned, smile widening when his eyes darkened.

“Minx,” he accused, walking up behind her and wrapping his strong arms around her, pulling her back against him as she shrieked with laughter.  Rose couldn’t help grinding her bum back against him, tilting her head to catch his eye.

“Careful, or you’ll get me wet.”  It came out even breathier than she’d been going for, but it had the desired effect on him as he groaned, burying his nose in her hair.

They swayed together for a long moment before he sighed, pulling away slowly.  “The hired car’ll be here in twenty.”

“Okay.”  Rose moved towards her purse to check she had everything she needed, pausing as she bent over to blink innocently up at him.  “D’you want me to wait outside while you get dressed?”

He flushed, the tantalizing pink spreading down his neck, but he met her eye head on.  “You’re fine.”

The towel dropped, and her heart stopped for a single beat before taking off running.  She might have even gasped, but wasn’t paying enough attention to know as she blatantly stared.  Sure, she’d seen it in passing when he first regenerated, but he’d been unconscious and they’d been… _ambiguous_ – plus the minor _alien-spaceship-heading-for-Earth-to-enslave-them_ thing.

Now… _now_ , she was allowed to look, and she liked what she saw very much.

When he pulled his boxers up over his hips she let out an involuntary whimper, making him snicker.  “Sorry.”

“I love you,” she murmured, crossing the room to kiss him deeply, resting her hands on his deceptively strong biceps.  “I’m so happy I get to spend my life with you.”

“Me too,” he whispered back, clenching her hips and holding her close.  “I love you so much.”

They kissed for a long moment, leisurely sipping at each other’s lips, until someone’s phone beeped.  He pulled back first, eyes staying closed as he inhaled.  “That’s probably the car – he said he’d called ten minutes out.”

“Okay.”  The idea of just giving in, of going to bed, was incredibly tempting and distracting, and it was only through sheer force of will she was able to step away.  “I’ll… I’ll wait in the living room.”

Nabbing her purse she paused at the door, watching as he pulled a tee over his head before fully leaving the room.

_I get to wake up to this every morning.  Forever._

The idea made her smile.

* * *

 

The car he had hired was a vintage Rolls Royce, properly posh, and Rose felt very fancy sliding into it in her summer dress and low, strappy heels.  (She’d learned very early on with him that if she was going to do heels, straps were a _must_.  Even bloody Cinderella couldn’t run in them.)

The Doctor climbed in behind her, and despite the spacious backseat wedged himself next to her so they were touching from knee to shoulder.  Their feet naturally tangled together as he spread his arm along the back of the seat, a welcome if not warm weight across her shoulders, his fingers instantly tangling in her hair.  Wanting to touch him as much as he did her she curved into him, resting her head on his shoulder and throwing her arm across his lap, settling her hand on his knee and tracing meaningless designs.

He hummed happily, letting out a sigh of contentment as they pulled away from the house.  Rose tried to pay attention to the view as they headed for the first winery, but all she could focus on was the man next to her.

“Doctor?”

“Yes?”  He tensed, and she turned her head to press her lips to his neck where his button-up gaped.

“I meant what I said, yesterday.”  She kept her voice low, not so much to prevent the driver from hearing as to keep him calm, though that was an added bonus.  “I’m not going to ask about… anything we discussed.  I’m happy _to_ talk about it, but not without you starting the conversation.  Alright?”  It had occurred to her, as she waited for him to finish dressing, that perhaps he was trying to keep her occupied and distracted so she couldn’t badger him about Susan, Peri, and any of the other women who had travelled with him over the centuries.

“I wasn’t worried,” he lied, even as the tension bled out of him.  “But… thanks.  Someday, maybe.  Not now.”

Rose pulled back far enough for him to see her reassuring smile.  “Whenever.  I’ll be here.”

A bright, happy smile spread across his face and he dipped his head, kissing her.

* * *

 

It hadn’t seemed like they snogged all that long, just a few lingering smooches, but they only pulled away when the car stopped and their driver said, “Estamos aquí.”

“Gracias.”  The Doctor pulled away first, opening the door and climbing out before offering Rose his hand.  Smoothing her hair down and adjusting her hem to avoid flashing anyone, she eased out as well but kept hold of his hand as they started towards the open door.

It was a gorgeous day – bright blue sky, a small smattering of white, puffy clouds, a gentle breeze.  Warm but not too hot, some of the other female guests were in sweaters, though Rose didn’t see the need for one.

“This is lovely,” she murmured, hiding a smile when he preened at the praise.

“We’ve got a tour then a tasting,” the Doctor said in his best _tour guide_ voice, checking his watch even though she knew his time senses were still sharp enough for him to never need one.  “And we’re about to be late.  What is it with women and heels?”

Rose rolled her eyes, trotting alongside him.  As an heiress she’d had to get used to the blasted things, but she hadn’t been prepared to keep up with his speed walking.  “Because they make our bums look amazing.  Duh.”

He actually, God help her, made her stop then took a step back, blatantly ogling her.  Rose flushed as an older couple just to the left of them noticed, rolling their eyes and huffing.

“Doctor!”

After a moment he started walking again, offering her his arm.  “I’d personally use the word _fantastic_ , but that’s just me.”  They shared a grin at the memory of his previous self as they made their way through the door, just in time for the tour.

* * *

 

Rose kept her eyes down as she signed the credit card slip, wincing at the exorbitant amount of money she was spending on wine she’d never be able to drink.  Damn the Doctor and his new human body and hormones; she wasn’t looking forward to explaining to her mother she’d bought three cases of wine because they’d toppled over and shattered when her boyfriend tried to snog her against them.

“A few bottles were salvageable,” the irritated manager told her, setting a box carefully on the counter.  “But please, never return.”

“I’m so sorry,” she repeated, blushing, focusing on putting her card away and grabbing the wine so she didn’t have to meet his eye; he, and the rest of their tour group, had gotten a good look at her thong and bare bumcheeks when the cases went over – well, what they could see around the Doctor’s hands.  She was mortified, and the only comfort was that no one had appeared to be recording, so the chances of _Vitex Heiress Caught Playing Grab-Ass_ being the next headline were low.  She hoped.

Keeping her head down she hurried outside, lugging the box of wine bottles.  Their driver, Tomas, met her halfway, taking and storing it in the boot as she climbed into the car.

“I’m sorry, Rose.”  The Doctor was waiting for her, properly contrite, eyes wide as though he was expecting a proper bollocksing.

Smoothing her skirt and sinking into the seat, she settled her sunglasses firmly on her nose before patting his hand.  “S’all right.  Let’s just keep to walls, yeah?”

“Okay.”  He perked up at that, before shoulders slumping again.  “But this was the one where we were gonna have lunch.”

“Oh.”  Rose frowned, peering out the window at the picturesque patio that overlooked the vineyard and sighed.  “It’s okay, doesn’t look that nice anyway,” she lied, scooting closer as the car started down the driveway.

The Doctor took her hand, lacing their fingers together.  “To the next one?”

She licked her lips, debating.  They’d already been to three, and while they were interesting, they were all very much the same in most ways.  Plus, they were properly buzzed from decent samples – hence the wandering hands in the first place.  “Maybe we could just get takeaway and hang out at the house?”

“Oh, thank you,” he breathed, making her laugh.  “Blimey, I didn’t expect it to be _that_ boring!”

“If you thought it would be boring, why’d you book it?” Rose asked, amused, holding up a finger for him to wait before leaning forward towards the driver.

“Know good takeaway,” Tomas said before she could speak.  “Fifteen minutes.”

“Thank you!”  Snuggling back against the Doctor, she gestured.  “Sorry.  Continue?”

He was blushing, which was unusual and concerning.

“What?”

He rubbed at the back of his neck, tentatively meeting her eye.  “I read an article,” he muttered, “about planning dates with your girlfriend.  I thought you’d enjoy it.”

Rose’s heart melted, and she couldn’t help but coo.  “Awww, Doctor!”  She kissed him briefly.  “That’s so sweet of you.”  It meant the world to her, that he was trying, and she fought back the urge to tease him.  “What else did it suggest?”

Shrugging, he relaxed slightly.  “Dinner.  Dancing.  Um… a show.”

“Those sound good to me,” she encouraged, rubbing her thumb along his jaw.  “What about you?”

“What _about_ me?”

“What, if anything, of that do you want to do?  I don’t want to just do things I’m interested in and you’ll hate.”

He raised a sardonic eyebrow.  “Like wine tasting?”

Rose flushed.  “This is going to sound stupid, but… I don’t think we’re quite to that level of _adult_ yet.  Wine tasting, brunch… That’s, like, level three adult.  I think we’re at about level one.”

“I dunno about you, but I’m still in the tutorial,” he joked, and Rose couldn’t have resisted the comeback that bubbled to her lips if her life depended on it.

“Spending a lot of time fiddling with the joystick, eh?  Testing it out?”

His blank stare made her laugh, and the dawning look of horror made her laugh harder until she was sobbing with it.

“Rose!”  Flustered, he made a series of incoherent sputtering sounds as she howled.  “Really?!”

Burying her head in his chest she rode the laughter out, gasping for breath as it refused to break.  She hadn’t laughed like this in _years_ , and it felt good - freeing.

“Rose!”  His voice broke, squeaking, indignation and desire warring on his face.

The car came to a stop, but she was still too deep into the laughing fit to get out, making him go get the food instead.

Drying her eyes as it subsided and checking her face in the compact mirror she carried, she smiled at the happy face staring back at her.  The miserable, lonely life she’d been leading not three months before was a thing of the past, nearly forgotten, the darkness in her then driven out by the sunshine of the Doctor’s smile, the warmth of his hand in hers, and the happiness in her heart.

The future was bright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7 will be available on May 6th.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another day exploring Barcelona, when things get steamy - and it's not the weather.

Rose giggled with delight as they stepped onto the cable car, swinging their joined hands between them as she pressed herself against the far window.  After a morning spent lounging by the pool they’d come into Barcelona for some historical sightseeing, starting with Castle Montjuic.  The old fort could be accessed via a number of transportation modes, and they’d decided to take the cable car up to the top for a bird’s eye view of the city.

They’d lucked out with thin crowds, and been allowed to have a car to themselves as they started moving up the hill.

“Doctor!  Come look-” she cut herself off on a yelp as he snuck his hand under the hem of her sundress, and she glanced over her shoulder at him wide-eyed.

“What?” he asked innocently, settling on the seat next to her.  “It’s my understanding it’s a custom – nay, a tradition – of going to Europe and getting pinched.”

She sat as well, trying to focus both on him and the passing scenery.  “Yeah, cause getting my bum pinched by strange men’s always been on  _my_  bucket list.  Still!”

The Doctor frowned, sitting up straight and looking contrite.  “I’m sorry, I was just… I’m sorry.”

“S’okay,” she reassured him, patting his arm, “I wasn’t expecting it, is all.  Your touch is always welcome, unless I say otherwise.”

Tentatively he settled his hand on her bare thigh just below her hem; in response, she inched the hem as high as she could while still being decent, smirking as his warm palm rose with it.

“I like touching you,” he murmured, thumb rubbing gently at her skin.  “You’re so soft.”

“I like you touching me,” Rose sighed, resting her head on his shoulder as she stared out the window, watching as they climbed in otherwise comfortable silence.

Too soon they arrived at the summit, and she mourned the loss of his hand on her thigh even as it laced with her own.  “So, tell me about the castle.”

“There’s a tour we can take,” he offered, peering up at the sign as they bought their tickets.  “Or we can wander on our own.”

“On our own,” she said decisively, handing her credit card over to the waiting cashier.  “Then we can go at our own pace.”

The Doctor’s beaming grin said he agreed, and they headed for the first exhibit.  “The first foundation stones were laid in 1640, but it wasn’t until a year later the first action happened during the Catalan revolt, and was one of the only successes.  It technically didn’t become a castle until fifty years later in 1694, when-”

* * *

 

“So, have you ever been here before?” Rose asked as they emerged on the roof, promptly forgetting her question as she took in the view.  “Oh my  _God_ , look at this!” she gasped, heading right for the edge.  With a 360* view of the city, it was absolutely spectacular.

“Nice,” the Doctor agreed, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.  “You can see for miles.”

Rose leaned back into him, relaxing in his arms.  It wasn’t quite another planet, but it was the closest she’d gotten to that feeling of wonder and awe since the last trip before- well,  _before_.  Tilting her head to see him, she grinned.  “Can I just say…”

“What?”

“Travelling with you, I love it.”

It took a moment before he laughed, hugging her tighter.  “Me too.  Does that make this our third first date?”

“Third?”

“Well, chips was our first, obviously, you said so yourself, then New Earth – now this.  Not sure it quite compares, but it’s not terrible, right?”

She turned her back on the city in favor of kissing him, tugging his face down to hers and sucking at his bottom lip.  “Best yet,” she whispered, smiling brightly up at him.  “Cause I get to do that, and tell you I love you.”

The Doctor made a happy noise in the back of his throat, kissing her back.  “I love you too.”

A throat cleared from a few feet away, and they found an older couple watching them.  The husband had a disapproving glare, scowling deeply at them with his arms crossed, while his wife made an apologetic face and tilted her head towards two children leaning over the railing and shoving at each other.

“Can I show you something?” her boyfriend muttered in her ear, and she nodded.

“Course.”

Taking her by the hand, he led her back to the stairs to the main level of the fortress.  “To answer your question, yes, I’ve been here before.  My friend Romana- the Time Lady I mentioned- we ended up here during the Napoleonic Wars.  It’s a long story, but basically a squad of Sontarans had gotten separated from the rest of their battalion and ended up here.  We had to get them to move along – almost changed the course of the whole war.  The fort surrendered without a fight historically, not firing a shot, but they wanted to defend it at all costs – well, you know Sontarans.  80% casualty rate is  _light_ , to them.”

Rose stopped dead, their joined hands tugging him to a halt.

“What?”

“What’s a Sontaran?” she asked blankly, and he scrunched up his nose.

“The little potato guys, remember?  Oh.”

She knew, logically, that he’d had thousands of adventures without her, both before they met and while they were apart, had reconciled herself to the idea after the bubble-bursting needle of meeting Sarah Jane, but something about this bothered her.  “Wasn’t me,” was all she said, stiffly, starting to walk again and fighting for composure.

“Sorry, I was thinking the last time I saw them – just a few months ago in fact – and forgot you weren’t there for that,” he explained, unintentionally twisting the knife in her gut.

“Right.”

Apparently not noticing her tension, he continued chattering away as he led her outside the walls of the fort and towards a dirt path that followed the base of the walls.  “Anyway, they’re a clone race that’s been fighting a war against the Rutans for something like fifty thousand years.  They live to fight and die, think it’s the height of nobility, all that.  Point being, they were trying to instigate trouble here and we had to put a stop to that.”

Heart still hurting, she paid more attention to the view than his words as they trekked along the path.  They were on the side of the fort overlooking the ocean, and down below a cruise ship was sitting in a dock, looking small and emphasizing how high they actually were.

They reached a bend in the wall and he tugged her up the slight incline towards the inner corner.  “Rose.”

“Mhmm?”  She leaned back against the wall, staring up at him.  She tried to hide the hurt, but some of it must have shown through because his expression softened.

“I’m sorry,” he sighed, one hand coming up to brush the hair away from her face as he crowded her against the wall.  “I forgot that you weren’t there for that because… because you were still  _with_ me.  I spent half the time expecting you to come racing around a corner.  It wasn’t that I didn’t think of you, while we were apart – more so that I never  _stopped_  thinking about you, trying to picture your approach to whatever was going on.   _What would Rose do?_  I kept asking myself, trying to see things from your point of view.  I missed you terribly, and pretending you were just out of sight was how I kept from going mad.”

Rose’s heart melted, taking in his earnest expression.  “I thought about you all the time too, wondering what you would do.”

“I love you, Rose Tyler,” he murmured, brushing his thumb over her lips, “and when I didn’t have you, my hearts were a trillion little pieces of glass scattered around the TARDIS, and I bled with every step.  I was lost without you.  I never mean to or want to hurt you.”

“I know.”  Fisting his tee she pulled him down to her, mouths meeting firmly and quickly opening to the other.

He leaned into her, pressing her against the stone wall.  Rose threw her arms around his neck, keeping him against her as they kissed.  When he tugged at her knee she obliged, wrapping it around his hip and groaning when he rocked his erection against her.

“Yes,” she hissed, throwing her head back as he ground into her with purpose.

“Can I do something?” he muttered, and Rose nodded frantically, unable to care what it was so long as he didn’t stop.

When his hips pulled back slightly she whined, trying to chase him, but his fingertips sliding up the inside of her thigh convinced her to give him a chance.  He kissed her again, sucking at her tongue as he brushed over the damp spot on her knickers once, twice, three times, before rubbing more deliberately at her.

Rose shifted her leg, setting her foot against the wall for balance and trying to tug him closer.  His tongue in her mouth was enough to make her brain go foggy, and his teasing touch against her only stoked the fire higher, offering no relief.  “Please.”

“Stop me if you don’t want me to,” the Doctor breathed, and she managed a scoff.

“Doubtful.  Shit!”

She broke the kiss to rest her head against the wall, eyes fluttering closed as his fingertips slid beneath her knickers for the first time, finding her warm and wet.  He rubbed lightly along her folds, pleasure sparking trough her.  It had been  _years_  since she’d felt another’s touch, and that alone was enough to inch her closer.

“Wait,” she gasped, eyes jerking open.  “We’re going to get caught.”

The Doctor shook his head, looking mightily pleased with himself.  “Nope!” he popped the letter cheerfully, stopping the movement of his fingers but not removing them.  “After everything with- never mind, long story, but I’ve got a few perception filters up my sleeve so to speak, and I activated one on the way over here.  Technically we can be seen, but their eyes will just slide right past us without noticing, really.  Like how no one would notice the TARDIS unless they were looking for her.  Now, I can give you a more detailed explanation, or I can keep going?”

Well, that was good enough for her.  “Keep going,  _definitely_ keep going,” Rose breathed, laying her head against the stone again but keeping her eyes open and focused on his intense look of concentration.  There would only be one first time that he pleasured her like this, and while it might not have been where she’d of picked given a choice, in the moment she didn’t care.  “Oh,  _please_.”  She rested her hands on his biceps, fingers stroking the strong muscles there as he rubbed her, clenching when he found her clit.

“Like that, do you?” he asked, unbearably smug, but all she could do was nod as she fought to focus on him.  She wanted to remember every second of this; the clear blue sky, the beautiful water shimmering below, the rough but warm stone at her back.  The impossibly sexy man who was hers forever.  “What about this?”

One finger gently probed her entrance, finding her soaking and sliding right in.

“Oh,  _fuck_.”  Rose couldn’t help bending her knees a little on instinct, trying to force the digit in deeper.

“Patience,” he laughed, slowly pumping it inside of her.  “I’ll get you there.”

She merely grunted, concentrating on his exploration.  He soon added a second finger, curling them to brush against that perfect spot and making her toes curl.  “ _Yeah_.”  His fingers picked up their rhythm, pumping steadily, and it was  _so.  Good._

“I love you,” Rose panted, rocking her hips in an effort to help the nicely-building orgasm along.

“I love you too.”  He kissed her again, shifting his touch so his thumb could brush against her clit.

It was bloody brilliant but she knew her body well enough to know it would still be a few minutes before she would reach her peak.   _Plenty of time_.

Kissing him in an effort to distract she undid his shorts with one hand, sliding her hand in to find him almost fully hard already.  Wrapping her fist around him she reveled in the heat of him, laughing when he broke the kiss with a grunt, eyes closing and rhythm slowing.

“Oi, don’t leave me hanging,” she whispered, pressing her lips to his chin, which was all she could reach.

“Sorry.”

Later she would be embarrassed about the exhibitionism of what they were doing, but for the moment she just let herself enjoy the dual pleasure of touching and being touched by her lover.   _Lover.  I like the sound of that._

For a moment she considered just letting go, of guiding him inside her and letting him fuck her against a four hundred year old fort, but before she could he added a third finger inside her and pressed hard against the spongy patch deep inside at the perfect time, sending her over the cliff with a high keen.

She didn’t quite black out, but she did have a moment when the world went from fuzzy to high definition again.  “Oh, shit that was good,” she panted, her heart thundering as pleasure flooded her veins.

“Uh huh.”  The Doctor was half collapsed on top of her, and she became aware of a warm, sticky mess over her palm that said he’d followed her over.  He leaned back then, meeting her eye, and they burst into giggles.

Not that she’d had any doubts, but it was good to know they’d be able to laugh together in bed.

She couldn’t wait to make love to this man.

* * *

 

After cleaning up they took once last lap around the fortress, making sure they saw everything they wanted to before returning to the cable car.  This time they’d be getting off at the middle stop so they could take the funicular the rest of the way down; it would put them closer towards where they wanted to end the night,  _Font Màgica_.  On most weekend nights after dark it would be illuminated with a music and light show.

“Now where?” the Doctor asked as they stepped out of the funicular station into bright sunshine.

“This way.”  Rose tugged him along, swinging their hands between them as they started off to the left.  “You’re good for a walk, aren’t you?”

He laughed, a happy, carefree sound she never wanted to stop.  “Rose Tyler, there is  _nowhere_  I wouldn’t follow you.  That’s always been true, but now?  Guaranteed.”

She rolled her eyes in good humor, squeezing his palm.  “Blimey, a simple handjob was all it took?  Wish you’d told me that  _years_  ago, we might not have wasted so much time.”

“Hey.”  He stopped, tugging her around to face him as he bent slightly to better meet her eye.  “No second of our time together was wasted.  Could some of it have been put to better use?  Yes. But that time, what we did, that’s what made us…  _us_.  I wouldn’t change it for the world.  Or even- and I  _can’t_  believe I’m about to say this- for this universe.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  He was so earnest that she couldn’t help but capitulate, rising on her toes to kiss him sweetly.  “Want to go see the 1992 Olympic stadium?”

“I would love to.”

It was basically a drive-by; the large stadium was plopped in the middle of a block at a curve in the road, looking at the back of the National Museum of Catalonian Art.  They could walk in through the front gate, with a small section being open to the public; the rest was gated off.  A large informational board gave a map of the stadium and a quick history, but they lingered only long enough for Rose to snap a picture.

“D’you know the history of the Olympic Games?” the Doctor asked as they strolled back out to the street and crossed.

“I’m sure you’re about to tell me.”  When he shot her a glare she just grinned cheekily, sticking her tongue out at him.  “G’on, amaze me.”

“Only if I won’t bore you,” he snarked.  “They originally started as a festival to celebrate Zeus – as with most festivals, over time they added in some sports just for fun.  A footrace, javelin contest, eventually wrestling.  When they formalized it as a series of athletic competitions, the various city-states of Greece at the time sent competitors to fight for glory, honor- the usual.  Ran for… roughly a thousand years.”

“What happened?”

The Doctor shrugged dismissively.  “The Romans- they ruled Greece by then- tried to impose Christianity, so a big festival to Zeus that united a subjugated people wasn’t a great idea.  They were disbanded until 1896, when the first modern Games were held in Athens.”

“So, d’you think the Olympics next year will go similar to the ones in the other universe?” Rose wondered aloud as they made their way around to the front of the NMAC – they wouldn’t have much time to go through, but Rose wanted to see at least a few pieces.

“Hard to say- why?”

She nudged him with her elbow, grinning.  “Mum and her friends run their own little pool.  Thought we might be able to make some money.”

“Betting on events of which you already have historical knowledge of is cheating,” the Doctor lectured, frowning.  “And what do you need to make money for?”

Rose laughed, shaking her head fondly.  “I’m only teasing, love.  I get a salary from Torchwood, and haven’t had much in the way of expenses – we’ve got a nice little nest egg to tide us over until the TARDIS is ready, regardless of if I work or not.  I just wanted to see your face.”

“Oh.”  He harrumphed, face smoothing.  “Still, I’m a bit vague on the concept.”

“What concept?”

“Money.”

She stopped dead, bursting in peals of laughter so great she had to bend over.  “What?!”

“Why’re you laughing?”  He sounded wounded, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to stop.  “Stop it!”

“Oh, babe.”  Rose wiped at her eyes, trying to calm herself.  “Money is earned through work, and then exchanged for things you need – food, clothing, shelter.  Basically everything.”

He scrunched his nose.  “Sounds boring.”

“Depends on what you do.”  They started walking again, heading up the steps to the front door of the museum.  “Working in a shop?  Dead boring.  What I’ve been doing with Torchwood?  Not so much- actually, it was rather fun.”

They walked through the doors of the museum, both sighing in relief at the cool air blasting.

“This is the life,” the Doctor declared, and Rose had to agree.

As long as she had him, she could tolerate anything.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A scare puts things into perspective, making the Doctor and Rose reevaluate choices they've made.

Rose woke with a smile on her face.  She’d dreamed of the light show at the  _Font Magica_ the night before, the beauty of the lights and water dancing in time to the music.  The Doctor had wrapped his arms around her, holding her close, and they’d swayed to the show.

It had been the perfect night.

Eyes blinking open she was surprised but pleased to find the Doctor next to her, still asleep.  He looked so peaceful and calm that way, sprawled out across the bed.  It was pleasantly warm in the room, and he’d kicked the top sheet long ago, leaving him uncovered but for his boxers.

Rose sighed happily, turning on her side to face him and curling her arm under her head, watching him sleep.  She so rarely got to see him still, and took the opportunity to drink him in.  It was still hard to believe, sometimes, that she got him forever – and, moreso, that for the first time their forevers matched.  Her heart still ached for the other Doctor, the one who had to go on without her, but she pushed thoughts of him away with an ease that made her feel guilty.  Her life, her future, was  _here_ , with the man next to her.

“You watching me sleep?” the Doctor asked, eyes flickering open as he yawned.

“Mhmm.”  She reached out, tracing her finger over his cheek and lips just to touch him.  “Problem?”

He shook his head sleepily, smiling at her.  It made her heart light to see the peace still present; it wasn’t often she woke before him, and he was usually up and raring to go as soon as her eyes opened.   _The more things change…_

“I love you,” she whispered, leaning forward to kiss him.

“Me too.”  Ignoring their morning breath they kissed leisurely, shifting until she was under him, pressed together.  He tugged at her knee, encouraging it to wrap around his hip, and she happily obliged, moaning softly when their hips lined up.  He hissed in response, rocking down against her, and Rose let herself get lost in the pleasure.

“Wait,” the Doctor grunted, pulling back only when she slipped her hand into his boxers.

“What’s wrong?”  Rose blinked up at him.  He swallowed, sitting back on his haunches, and Rose sat up as well.  “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

Ruffling his hair, he couldn’t quite bring himself to meet her eyes for more than a second before staring out the window as he spoke.  “I’m not…  _ready_  yet.  It’s not that I don’t want to-  _believe me_ , I do- it just… It doesn’t feel right-  _perfect_.  I don’t know why, this week has been incredible, but… I’m waiting for a moment.”

“So we wait,” she shrugged, smiling reassuringly.  “As long as you need.”

They stared at each other in silence until he coughed.  “Thank you.  Erm, I should shower.”  He eased off the bed, and she waited until he opened the bathroom door to call after him.

“You know, I could give you a hand in there.”

The Doctor spun back, eyes widening with something that looked dangerously like hope.  “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah.”  Smile widening at his clear interest, she slunk off the bed and pulled her nightgown up and over her head, leaving her naked as she dropped it on the floor, moving towards him.  “You wash my back, I’ll wash yours?”

She didn’t have to offer twice.

* * *

Rose moaned, body relaxing even as a specific type of tension grew.  The Doctor was ostensibly applying a new layer of sunscreen to her back, but he hadn’t added any more in a while, merely continued running warm palms across her shoulders, back, and legs, fingers occasionally creeping under her bikini bottoms, caressing her bum.

“Are you gonna fall asleep on me?” he teased, tickling her sides gently and making her squeal.

“Nonono!”  Laughing she fought to wriggle away, managing to escape with a well-timed grope.

“Oi!”  His faux outrage made her take off running, though he wasn’t far behind.

“You can’t catch me,” she taunted, faking left before going right, only wading ankle deep before keeping along the shoreline.

He was dangerously close to doing so, coming at her at an angle, and she darted almost past him to their stuff.  A rock outcropping sat a few yards down the beach at the base of the cliffs, and she headed for that.  A glance over her shoulder showed he was gaining, and in a burst of inspiration, she turned so she was jogging backwards.  “Oh, Doctor!”  When he got a little closer she deftly untied her top, dropping it in the sand.  The dirty move had the hoped-for effect – he stopped dead, jaw dropping at the sight of her bare breasts.

Bursting into giggles again at his wonder-filled expression she took off for the outcropping again, coming in hard and skidding around the edge of it.  A stick half-buried in the sand tripped her, snapping even as she landed on her bum.

“Oof,” Rose grunted, slightly dazed but otherwise unharmed, and despite the chase stayed seated for a moment.

“Rose!”  The sudden panic in the Doctor’s voice put her on alert, and she was just trying to stand as he skidded around the rock and into view, falling to his knees in front of her.  “ _Rose_ ,” he said reverently, paler than she’d ever seen.  “Are you alright?”

She nodded, looking around but seeing no sign of trouble.  “I’m fine.  What’s wrong?”

“Wrong?”

Rose tried to stand, wincing as her ankle protested.  “You said my name- are we being attacked or something?”

He stared at her, perplexed, and she stared right back.  The world was quiet, but for the waves breaking on the shore and the occasional squawk of a gull.

“I heard a crack,” the Doctor finally said, looking shaken.  “I thought you hit your head.”

She raised a hand to feel, even though she was certain she hadn’t.  “No.  I’m fine- I tripped over a stick.  Landed on my bum.”

He was still deathly pale, a wild tint to his eye.  “I thought I lost you.  I thought… I thought-”

“Hey, hey, I’m okay,” Rose soothed, caressing his cheek as he inched closer.  “See?  I’m fine.  Really, love.”

“I could have lost you,” he repeated dully.  “Forever.”

“Doctor-”

She was cut off by him lunging forward, claiming her lips with his own.  Losing her balance she fell back and he followed, kissing her desperately.  He was like a man possessed, relentless, hands running over her body as he nipped and sucked at her tongue, pressing his hips against hers.

Rose moaned, always up for a snog though still a bit confused about the reason, but was content to go with it – until he started fumbling at the bows at her hips keeping her bikini bottoms on.

Wrenching her mouth away from his, she put a hand on his chest and pushed enough to get his attention.  “Love-”

“Please.”  The desperate, needy, terrified look was still in his eye, and she bit her lip.  “Rose,  _please_.  I don’t want to wait.  I  _can’t_.  Waiting’s stupid.  I won’t lose another second with you.   _Please_.”

“But… here?”

He captured her lips again in response, and she surrendered.  It wasn’t how she’d always pictured it, their first time, but it was him and her and so it was perfect.

He was too far gone in fear-induced desire to be thinking clearly, leaving her in the driver’s seat.  Taking control she rolled them, forcing him onto his back and settling astride his hips, deliberately rocking down and drawing a ragged groan from his throat.   _No way_  was she going to shag him on her back in the sand; she’d never get it all out.

Leaning down she put more effort into their kissing, dusting her hand off on his side before finding the slit in his swim trunks and easing her palm inside.  He was already half-hard and growing steadily, and it only took a few pumps before he was ready to go.

“Rose,” he whispered brokenly, and she soothed him tiny kisses to the corners of her mouth.

“Hang on, just a mo’…”  Doing a quick check to make sure they were still alone, she sat up straight and smiled down at him.  “Ready?”

He nodded restlessly, and she hid a wince at all the sand now likely in his hair.

Letting out a deep breath she guided him out of his trunks, steadying herself with one hand on his stomach as she nudged her own bottoms aside and  _oh. so. slowly_ eased him inside her.

_Oh, shit_.  Rose let out a moan as he slid inside inch by inch, taking her time.  With essentially no foreplay she was going on the arousal his massage had stirred, but it didn’t seem to be a problem.  Once he was fully seated they both sighed, the Doctor’s eyes wide with emotion.

“Alright?” she asked breathlessly, raising an eyebrow down at him.

“Um, yeah,” he choked out, laughing slightly.  “You?”

“Mhmm.”  Rose circled her hips, and she smirked as his eyes rolled back in his head.  “More than.”

The Doctor’s hands settled on her hips, fingers flexing against her flesh, and she felt like the sexiest creature on the planet.  The waves crashing on the shore were just audible, and the sand under her knees made it all seem like a tropical paradise.

“I love you,” she whispered, and he beamed, repeating the words with a tenderness she didn’t know he was capable of.

One of his hands left her hip to take her own, fingers lacing together and giving her something to bare down on as she slowly rose almost off of him before sinking down again.

_Why did we wait so long to do this?_

* * *

Despite Rose’s best intentions it quickly turned primal and dirty, lasting only a couple of minutes before they cried out in sync, and she collapsed against his chest.

“Wow,” the Doctor was the first to manage to speak, panting.  Rose bobbed with every breath, rising with his inhales and sinking when he let it out.

“Yeah.”  Aftershocks made her tremble and clench around him, drawing a soft moan from him.  “Not bad.”

“Not  _bad_?”  He lifted his head to stare incredulously at her.  “That was the most wonderful thing that’s ever happened to me – and I’ve experienced plenty of lovely things!”

She snickered, mustering the energy to sit upright, eyes fluttering at a new bolt of pleasure.  “And it’ll get better still, once we’re in practice.  And a bed.”

His head thunked down into the sand again, eyes closing as his breathing steadied.  “I don’t know if I can take  _better_.”

“You can.”  Rose eased herself off him, grimacing at the mess trickling down her thigh.  “Let’s get the stuff, go back to the house.  I need a shower.”

“But it’s our fun beach day,” he whined, sitting up as well and tucking himself away.

Laughing, she kissed him before standing.  “Fine, you stay here with the stuff and I’ll be back in a bit – I  _have_  to clean up.”

Still grumbling he got to his feet as well, wobbling slightly.  “Why’s it have to be so messy?”

“Because that’s what makes it fun.”  Rose fixed her bottoms before starting towards the stuff.

“Hey, wait.”  The Doctor caught her hand, tugging her back to him, and she fell into his arms willingly enough.  “Thank you.”

Grinning, she went up on tiptoe to kiss him sweetly.  “Thank  _you_.”

He kept her against him and they kissed softly, basking in their love.

Eventually she had to pull away.  “I really do have to go clean up,” she whispered, “but I’ll be back soon.”

She left him by their things, hurrying up the path as she resettled her bikini top; it was supposed to be a private walkway, but she didn’t want to take any chances.  Jumping in the shower to rinse off, she let herself think about what had just happened.

They’d made love.

And, okay, it hadn’t been  _great_.  They’d both  _gotten there_ , sure, but she’d honestly had a better orgasm in the shower that morning.  But… it had been  _real_.  From an emotional, connected-to-her-partner standpoint, it had been the best shag of her life.  She knew he loved her, felt his awe and joy at being with her.

_Plus_ , she considered,  _it’s been… what, centuries for him?  Eight years for me._

Turning off the water she stepped out, toweling off as she made her way into the bedroom only to yelp at finding the Doctor standing there, looking unsure.  “Hi?”

“Hey.”  He shuffled his feet, ruffling his hair and looking just over her shoulder.  “Um…”

“Everything all right?”  Wrapping the towel around her and securing the ends, she stood toe to toe with him, settling her palms on his biceps and staring up with worry.  “Do you… have regrets about what just happened?”

‘’No,” he denied, but with a hesitancy that made her stomach drop.  “Erm, can I be honest?”

“Always.”

“Brutally so, I mean.”

“Doctor.”

“That… wasn’t that great,” he confessed, with the air of someone confessing to murder.

Rose sagged in relief, grinning.  “It wasn’t, was it?”

The Doctor looked startled, meeting her eye in surprise.  “Wait, what?”

“It wasn’t  _bad_ , per se, I mean I’ve had worse, but it didn’t really work, did it?”  She smiled reassuringly, heart easing to know he’d been as underwhelmed as she was.  “I think it was the sand, and you were upset – not the best recipe for a spectacular first time.  Next time – and I strongly encourage you to consider it – let’s do it right.  I think it’ll give you a better idea of what to expect.”

“You’re not mad?” he asked tentatively, tension easing when she shook her head.

“No.”  Going up on tiptoe she kissed him, pleased when he responded eagerly.  “I think the first time was going to be bollocks no matter what.  Now it’s out of the way, we can really explore each other, you know?  Take our time.”

The Doctor nodded in agreement, smiling reassuringly.  “I’d like that.”

She grinned back, and they just smiled at each other for a long moment, a sense of anticipation building between them before she realized.  “Oh!  You mean now?”

“Is that okay?” he faltered, looking unsure.  “I suppose you did just shower.”

“Um, yeah, of course it’s okay,” Rose said, forcing her smile brighter.  “But you’re covered in sand – go clean up, and I’ll… get ready.”

He kissed her before spinning away towards the bathroom, whistling to himself as he went.

As soon as the door shut behind him she sprang into action, digging out the scented candles she’d brought with her for just the occasion and lighting them on the bureau and nightstands.  Next she made the bed, cleaning up the room of abandoned clothing and kicking it all into the closet.

Hurrying to the kitchen she downed a glass of water before returning to the bedroom, dropping her towel in the corner and grabbing her lotion, smoothing it efficiently over her legs, stomach, and arms.  She’d shaved again in the shower, but found a bottle of light perfume she knew he liked and spritzed a bit on.  Nothing else to do but wait, she did her best to towel-dry her hair until the water switched off.

Deciding at the last moment against just waiting naked she found the flimsy negligee she’d brought and slipped it over her head, not bothering with anything else.  Situating herself on the mattress in a seductive but hopefully not trashy pose, she knew she’d done well enough when the doors opened and his jaw dropped.

“Hi, honey.”  Crossing her legs like Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, she half-reclined on the mattress.  “How was your day?”

Later,  _much, much later,_  they agreed that the incredibleness of their second time made up for the first – and then some.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 9 will be available June 2nd. Thank you for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

_Rose ran for her life._

_The moment she landed she knew, deep in her soul, two things.  One – this was, finally, the right universe.  She was_ home _.  The second was that something was terribly wrong._

_Some instinct, some knowing sense that she got sometimes in moments of great danger, tugged her towards the river, and with every step she ran faster until she saw a barricade of UNIT vehicles, and a single woman walking slowly away._

_“What happened?” she begged, skidding to a halt, a terrible knot in her gut, two words running through her mind.  Something’s wrong.  Something’s wrong.  Something’s_ wrong.   _“What did they find?”  Spinning on her heel she confronted the red-headed woman.  “Sorry, did they find someone?”_

Something’s wrong.

_“I dunno,” the woman shook her head, looking a bit bewildered as Rose glanced over her shoulder._

Something’s wrong.

_“Um, bloke called the Doctor, or something,” she continued._

_Rose glanced at her, naïve hope fighting through the fear.  “Where is he?”_

_“They took him away,” the redhead said, completely flat and unsympathetic as she delivered what, to Rose, was a crushing blow.  “He’s dead.”_

_He’s dead._

_He’s dead._

_The Doctor is dead._

_Something.  Is.  WRONG._

“No,” Rose cried, bolting upright, her gasps for breath quickly turning to deep, shuddering sobs.  “No, no, _no_!”  Her hand fumbled at the other side of the bed, reaching for him but finding only cool sheets.  “No!”

“Rose?  Rose!”  The Doctor appeared in her line of vision then, throwing himself on the bed in front of her and gathering her in his arms.  “It was a dream, it was just a dream,” he tried to soothe her, holding her close, but it didn’t help.

“You were dead,” she cried, leaning into him and clutching tightly at his tee, “you were dead and I couldn’t do _anything_.”

“It was just a dream,” he repeated, making soft sounds and stroking her hair, keeping her against his chest as she wailed.

Finally, after far too long, she was reduced to sniffling, clutching him tightly and trying to burrow into his very skin.  He took one arm away from around her, and it reappeared a moment later with a handful of tissue.  “Here, sweetheart.”

Accepting them one-handed, afraid if she let go he’d vanish, she wiped her eyes and blew her nose.  “Thanks.”

He tsked dismissively, taking advantage of her loosened grasp to shift her onto his lap more comfortably.  “D’you want to talk about it?”

Rose shook her head, cuddling into him and letting his single heartbeat remind her that that universe didn’t exist, that she’d fixed it.  She’d had to kill that forced-parallel-universe Donna to do it, and while that grieved her… as much as she’d _liked_ Donna, it was a choice she’d been willing to make.  

Ironically, it had made her feel closer to the Doctor than she had in awhile, to recognize all over again the kinds of terrible compromises he’d had to make in his lives to keep everyone else safe.

“It was just a dream,” he repeated, kissing her head, and she stiffened.

“It wasn’t.”

“What?”

“It wasn’t a dream.  It was a memory.”

The Doctor pulled back enough to see her face, frowning.  “I don’t understand.”

“Donna got pulled into that bubble universe, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Did she have time to tell you anything about it?”

He tilted his head in thought, pursing his lips.  “She said… the stars were going out.  That it was bleak.  That you told her to say ‘Bad Wolf’.  After that… well.  I was a bit too focused on you, so not really.”

Rose took a steadying breath, forcing her fists to unclench his shirt and rest open-palmed where his hearts had been.  “Basically, it was based around the day she started at… whatever the locksmith company was.  Instead of taking that job she took a different one, closer to home.  She never met you, and everything that happened during your travels didn’t – it was like an apocalyptic wasteland.  No,” she corrected, “it _was_.  It was horrible.”

“What, because I didn’t meet Donna?”  He wrinkled his nose.  “I mean, that seems a bit extreme.”

“You died.”  Though her exhale was shaky, her voice held.  “Under the Thames, something about a spider and Christmas – you drowned, and didn’t regenerate.”

He stiffened, and she bit her lip.

“I… can believe that.  It would’ve been right after- right after I… ran out of time saying goodbye.  To you.”

Rose rubbed lightly at his chest.  “I got there too late – UNIT was already taking you away – but that was how _I_ met Donna.  It pretty soon became clear that something was terribly wrong, and I started a plan to fix it.”

“And you did.”  He shook his head when she scoffed.  “You _did_.  Rose, you saved all of us.  Every universe – practically on your own.  But I’m sorry you had to see… whatever it was that made you a little bit more like me.”

“I’m not,” Rose argued quietly, steel in her voice.  “I’m sorry those things happened, and I’m sorry I had to see them, but I’m _not_ sorry to be a little more like you.  I knew what I was signing up for, long ago.  I knew it every time I got back on that ship after a visit to Mum’s.  I have no regrets, other than for those I couldn’t save.  But you already know that.”

The Doctor nodded sharply, and they sat in somewhat comfortable silence as her heart calmed and her tears dried.

When the clock said they’d been up for more than an hour she finally shifted in his arms, meeting his eye.  “Will you make love to me, please?”

“Of course.”  He laid her down gently, taking his time with her.  It was tender, and sweet, and by the time he entered her she’d forgotten everything she’d ever known, everything in the universe except for him and the pleasure he brought her.

She slept dreamlessly after that.

* * *

When she woke the next morning, it was to find herself draped across the Doctor’s chest, ear pressed to his heart.

“Good morning,” he said quietly, fingers combing through her hair, and she sighed into the touch.

“Hi.”  Stretching her neck she kissed him, and they snogged leisurely until they were both on their sides, touches growing bolder.

“Wait,” he panted, pulling away, and she laid her hand flat on his hip.

“What is it?”

Brushing hair away from her face, he caressed her cheek as he gazed steadily at her.  “I had terrible nightmares for _months_ after Canary Wharf.”

Rose exhaled sharply; it was such a tender wound at the beginning that no one had dared say the name after the first time she collapsed in agonizing grief, that she hadn’t heard it in years.  “Me too.”

“No- I mean, I’m sure you did, but- just let me- What I mean is, the dreams… most of the time, they ended differently.  You crashing into the wall and breaking your neck.  You getting sucked into the Void.  Every time was devastating, a far more horrible way to lose you – all things considered, what _did_ happen was one of the better potential outcomes.  And I told you about my time senses, that I can see every possibility – and they were all in high definition in my dreams whenever I tried to sleep.”

He paused, and Rose pressed kisses to his chin.  “I’m sorry.”

“When my psyche got tired of those, it dredged up old favorites I’d managed to pack tightly away – the bunker in Utah, with the dalek, or the Coronation when the Wire took your face.  Every time I almost lost you, crystal clear whenever I closed my eyes.  My point being, I’m intimately familiar with the kind of dream you had last night.  But it _was_ just a dream.  That universe is gone, and you saved the day.  We’re here, now, and that’s ancient history – literally, in some cases.  So try not to dwell on it.”

Rose sniffled, tears leaking out of her eyes as her heart ached for the lonely, heartbroken Time Lord left on his own.  In her darker moments she’d hoped he was suffering as she was, that he hadn’t just moved on without looking back like he had with Sarah Jane.  To find out she was right, that he’d been just as miserable, only made her feel worse.  “I love you so much, and I always have.”

“I love you too,” he promised softly.  “And I’m so happy for the future we get to have, together.  The scars of our past will always be there, but it’s up to us in the here and now to… to tattoo over them.  To turn something ugly into something beautiful.”

She smiled, snuggling closer and throwing her leg over his hip.  “You did a good job at that last night,” Rose winked suggestively, pleased when he laughed.

“Why thank you.  I think I could use some practice, though.”

“It that so?”  She shrieked with laughter when he rolled her onto her back.  “Well, practice does make perfect.”

Holding himself above her, he smirked.  “And _I_ am perfect.”

“I hardly think so,” Rose giggled, tugging him down, “but you’re perfect for me, and that’s all that matters.”

* * *

Hands on her hips, Rose surveyed their setup.  After an emotional morning they’d decided on a beach day, hauling down sand toys, floats, and a variety of other things to do – provided they could keep their hands to themselves.  “Looks good.”

“I’ll say,” the Doctor winked, giving her a thorough look over before moving in front of her, grasping her hips firmly to haul her against him in a bruising kiss.

She moaned, surrendering completely until he tried to lower her to the blanket.  “No, no, no,” Rose panted, struggling away.  “We are _not_ having sex on the beach in broad daylight.  Again.  I want to go for a walk.”

“But shagging is so much more fun,” he pouted, trying to tug her back to him.

“A romantic walk on the beach,” she said sternly, grabbing her hat and settling it on her head.  “Then some _innocent_ fun on the beach.  You can shag me when we go up for lunch.”

“Fine.”  He found his sunglasses, scowl already perched on his face.  “Shall we?”  Extending his elbow to her, she took it gladly as they struck out heading north along the sand.

Walking in silence for a few minutes, Rose just enjoyed the sand between her toes, the occasional lapping of the waves, the warm sun, and the Doctor’s lean body next to her.  In the daylight she felt a little silly about her extreme reaction to her nightmare, but she was determined to put it behind her.

“Yes,” the Doctor said abruptly, apropos of nothing.

“What?”

“If you want kids, I want kids.”

Rose stopped dead to gape at him.  “Where did _that_ come from?!”

He couldn’t quite meet her eye, but his voice was dead serious.  “I was thinking, after I thought you hit your head yesterday, about what I wanted- _really_ \- out of this incredible, impossible future the universe has gifted me- _us_ \- with.  A life on the slow path.  And I’m not saying we don’t grow the TARDIS and have adventures, I’m just saying… I’m open to a third, permanent member of our team.  Preferably one that understands to stay when told to.”

“Sounds more like you want a dog,” Rose said shakily, starting to walk again.  “Cause no _way_ is a kid of ours going to be able to stay out of trouble.”

“Very true,” he considered, taking her hand.  “Maybe both?”

She nodded.  “Let’s maybe start with the dog, but… okay.  We’ll have kids.”

“If you want.”

A family was playing far up ahead, two small children running around and shrieking with laughter as their father chased them, bringing an involuntary smile to Rose’s lips as she pictured the Doctor chasing spiky-haired toddlers.

“Only if they’re just like you.”

* * *

Fifteen minutes into their supposedly romantic sunset cruise with a crying baby, Rose’s last nerve was fraying quickly.  Rationally she understood that children cry and that she shouldn’t be judging, especially with helping raise Tony, but it just seemed like a sign given their decision that afternoon.

“Erm, let’s maybe put the baby idea off for a year or ten,” the Doctor muttered in her ear, returning from the bar with two glasses of wine.

“Deal.”  They toasted, taking a sip before moving to another section of the railing and staring out at the darkening sky.  The sun was still high, but it would be setting soon and she didn’t want to miss a moment.

Leaning on the rail, the Doctor gazed contemplatively out to sea.

“Penny for them?”

“Hmm?”

Rose laughed softly, resting her head on his shoulder.  “What’re you thinking about?”

“I’m wondering what the hell I ever did so right in my life to get you,” he sighed, turning dark eyes on her.  “Everything I touch turns to dust, yet you’re still here.”

“Blimey, you’re not Thanos,” she teased, winking at him.

“Rose!  That’s still in the future,” he hissed, looking around wildly to see who might be listening.  “Don’t _spoil_ it!”

Shaking her head, she smiled fondly at him.  “My point is, stop being so melodramatic.  I’ve seen the very heart of you, true, and there’s dark spots, but they’re bruises – it’s not rotten.  I love you for _you_ , you daft alien, but I think you need to just enjoy the moment.”

“I can’t just ‘enjoy the moment’ forever!”

“Of course you can.  You focus on being happy in the moment you’re in, then the one after that, and the one after that, and suddenly you’re old and gray and have a lifetime of happy memories.”

The Doctor grimaced self-consciously, ruffling his hair.  “Gray?  I don’t know…”

“I’ll still love you then,” she promised, “long as you still love me when _I’m_ old and gray and fat from having too many babies.”

A soft, happy smile crossed his face, his eyes lightening.  “Oh, Rose Tyler, I’ll love you forever.”

He kissed her then, and she could feel the truth of it there, the weight of his promise.

_Forever_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have one last chapter before this trip is over - for us, at least. :)
> 
> Chapter 10 will be posted on June 16th.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter!

“Rose.”  Her shoulder shook, waking her, and she groaned miserably.  “Rose, wake up.”

“Fu’off,” she whined, wriggling away from whoever was disturbing her sleep.  She’d been dreaming about making love with the Doctor in the doorway of their new TARDIS in orbit around Earth.

“Sweetheart.”  Lips touched her shoulder and she sighed, grumbling as she sat up and fought to open her eyes.

“What?”

“Come with me.”

She managed to half-open them, enough to see it was still plenty dark out.  “I don’ wanna.”

“Rose.”

“Fine.  Arsehole.”  She climbed slowly out of bed, smiling involuntarily at the ache in certain muscles as she moved towards the bathroom.  They were still working on _quality_ when it came to sex, but more than made up for it with quantity and enthusiasm – as always the Doctor was a quick learner, and Rose already had plans to take up yoga to keep up with his clever imagination.

Returning to the bedroom she pulled on her dressing gown, scowling at him.  “Where’re we going?”

“Come _on_ ,” he said, a tad impatiently, looking far too wide awake for the early hour.   _And when the fuck did five a.m. stop being a late night and start being an early morning?_

She let him lead her through the house, stopping dead when he tried to tug her outside.  “Doctor!  I’m naked under the dressing gown,” she hissed.

“Would you just trust me?  Have I ever led you astray before?  Don’t answer that.”

Rose huffed, rebelting the gown before moving forward again.  “If we get arrested for public indecency _you_ can be the one to call Mum and tell her.”

He ignored that, tugging her down the path to the beach.  It was dead silent and dark, and she almost tripped over something before he brought her to a stop.

“What’s all this?”  Battery-operated pillar candles were half-buried in the sand, giving off just enough light to illuminate a blow-up mattress covered in blankets.

The Doctor turned her towards him, leaning in for a deep kiss she happily reciprocated before pulling back enough to whisper against her lips, “I thought we could watch the sunrise.”

Blinking at the still-dark horizon, she tried not to pout.  “That’s still a ways off though, I think.”

“Hmm, you’re right,” he pretended to consider, tapping at his chin.  “Whatever shall we do to pass the time?”

Rose looked at the mattress with new eyes, bursting into giggles.  “Not sure it counts as sex on the beach if you’re on a mattress.”

The Doctor grimaced, eyes darting in the direction of the rock outcropping they’d made love behind.  “Yeah, but I’m _still_ finding sand.  I thought this might be a good compromise.  And!  I already put up the perception filters, so hopefully no arresting.”

She thought about it for a moment, but in the end, her answer was a given.  “Well, if you insist…”  Undoing the tie to her robe she let it gape for a tantalizing moment before rolling her shoulders, sending the fabric tumbling to the ground.  Ignoring the sand invading it, she wiped her feet mostly free of sand on the blanket under the mattress before climbing on, turning onto her back and laying as seductively as she could manage.  “Care to join me?”

He was staring, eyes and mouth open wide and sending her confidence soaring.  “Uh huh!”  Pushing his boxers down his hips, he didn’t bother trying to kick them off – and promptly stumbled in his haste as Rose hid a giggle behind her hand.  “Hang on, hang on…”  Hopping around he managed to free himself, and once he was naked in front of her she stopped laughing, licking her lips.

“This will never get old.”

He joined her on the mattress, and they giggled at the slightly surreal bouncing that came with it being full of air.  “Hi.”

“Hello.”  It was cool in the pre-dawn air, and Rose scurried under the blankets set up, waiting until he joined her to cuddle against him.

“Wait.”  The Doctor pulled back from their kiss breathless, and Rose tried to tug him to her.

“What?”

“Other end.”

“Huh?”

He shifted, putting his head at the end of the mattress closest to the water, gesturing for her to turn as well.  “So we can see the sunrise.”

* * *

They came together, crying out their pleasure, and Rose fluttered her eyes open after a moment, tilting her head back to see the very top of the sun peeking over the horizon.  “Doctor, look.”

He raised his head from where it rested on her breast, panting softly as they both watched it climb.  “Beautiful,” he murmured, and she hummed in agreement.

They shifted around until they lay side by side on their stomachs, following it’s path until everything was bright.  “Good idea,” Rose conceded, turning her head to smile at him and catching him already staring at her.

“This _trip_ was a good idea,” he replied, making her grin brighten.

“Thanks.  I’m sorry it has to end.”

“Does it?”

“What do you mean?”

The Doctor licked his lips, giving her a hesitant grin reminiscent of how he’d looked every time he’d asked her to travel with him.  “I was thinking… if there’s nothing to rush back to, maybe extend the car rental and drive back?  Take our time going through France, or along the coast to Italy, or… _anywhere_.  Just keep going.”

Reasons why they couldn’t sprang to mind, forming and dying on the tip of her tongue, never escaping.   _Job.  Responsibilities.  Family.  Torchwood, Tony, Mum and Dad._ “We’ll have to go home for Tony’s birthday.”

“When’s that?”

“August.”

“So… is that a yes?”

Rose grinned brightly.  “Where should we go first?”

* * *

By the time they made it back to the house the sun was blazing, and they were quickly running out of time to pack their things and vacate the house.

After a detour on the outside sofa reminiscent of their second night in the house (with a few key differences) and a lingering shared shower, they finally managed to track down all of their things and get it stuffed into the car.

“Ready?” the Doctor asked, leaning in the bedroom door as Rose did a final check for forgotten items.

“Almost.  The cleaning agency’ll be here in ten and we need to be gone by then.  And no,” she added when he moved towards her, “that’s not enough time for one last shag.”

He sniffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the dresser as she moved towards the closet.  “If you say so.  I talked to your dad’s assistant – we’ve got the rental car until Monaco, then we pick up the one she bought.  Supposed to be similar, but better?  I don’t know.”

“Perfect, thanks for taking care of that.”  Rose kissed him on her way out of the room, doing a final lap through the rest of the house – in the end, only the bedroom and outside ended up getting much use, though she did find bits of clothing scattered throughout the other rooms.

“I was thinking…”

“Yeah?”

The Doctor shuffled his feet again.  “Maybe we could come back here at some point?  To this house, I mean?”

Stopping her search Rose returned to his arms, going up on tiptoe and kissing him sweetly.  “Sure.  Maybe our honeymoon?”

“Seems appropriate.”  They kissed again until an alarm on Rose’s mobile beeped.

“Okay, we’ve _got_ to go.  Can you take this out to the car?”

Rose waited until she was alone to take one last look around the house, reflecting on how far their relationship had come in the week they’d been there, and how it had far surpassed even her wildest dreams.

“Yeah, we’ll be back.”

Smiling, she settled her sunglasses on her nose and pulled the door shut behind her, dropping the keys in the designated box and walking towards the purring sports car.

“So, where are we going?” the Doctor asked as she settled into the passenger seat, and she grinned at him.

“Breakfast?  Then, who knows?”

It didn’t matter, as long as she was going with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me on this journey, I hope you've enjoyed it! And thank you to all who have left lovely comments :)


End file.
